Uruguay set up Thailand clash as Cannavaro meets Cuper in China Cup

The absence of Barcelona forward Luis Suarez and Paris Saint-Germain striker Edinson Cavani couldn't keep Uruguay from winning when facing Asian competition as they eased past Uzbekistan in a 3-0 victory on Friday to reach the CHINA Cup final.

Suarezhad been ruled out of playing in the CHINA Cup after spraining his ankle, which added to Cavani's absense for Uruguay after the PSG striker failed to shake off a thigh injury for the trip to CHINA. However, Oscar Tabarez's side brushed off the absences of two superstars and enjoyed a comfortable victory thanks to Cristhian Stuani's double.

Uruguay took less than five minutes to set the tone of the match when PSV midfielder Gaston Pereiro fired a fine left-footed volley from Nicolas Lodeiro's pass to past Uzbekistan goalkeeper Sanjar Kuvvatov. Stuani opened his scoring in the 23rd minute and doubled to secure his brace in the 82nd minute as Tabarez's side easily booked a place in final.

"Playing with a strong team like Uruguay would be beneficial to our players," Uzbekistan manager Hector Cuper admits that Uruguay is one of the best teams in the world.

Uruguay, who won the CHINA Cup title last year, will face Thailand in the final as coach Tabarez believes that everything is possible on the field.

"We meet different teams from continents, and they are varieties. We will look ahead and try our best to compete in every match."

"We respect every rival and will try to win for the title," Tavares said on the final clash with Thailand.

Hector Cuper, head coach of Uzbekistan will meet Cannavaro's CHINA in the CHINA Cup third-place playoff. /VCG Photo

In a third-place playoff between CHINA and Uzbekistan, CHINA's , who played for Inter Milan 15 years ago, will meet the team's former coach Hector Cuper.

The 62-year-old former Valencia and Inter Milan boss Cuper helped Egypt qualify for the World Cup in Russia over the summer.

Cuper, who had known Cannavaro for several years, had a cautious view on Italian's coaching career in CHINA.

"I watched the game between CHINA and Thailand, but it is not a proper time to assess Fabio's performance. It needs time to change a team, let's see what will happen in the future."

"However, if I meet him on the football field, of course, I will try to beat him,"added Cuper.