Pellistri to miss Uruguay’s final qualifier
Of the Manchester United players in action for their countries last week, Facundo Pellistri was one who really caught the eye as he and club colleague Edinson Cavani helped Uruguay to qualify for the World Cup.
La Celeste defeated qualification rivals Peru 1-0 thanks to a Giorgian de Arrascaeta goal, and despite VAR controversy surrounding a prospective equaliser, the four-time world champions held on to solidify their fourth-place position in the group and book a place at Qatar 2022.
Pellistri started Thursday's match and played 84 minutes before eventually being replaced by Damian Suarez for the closing stages.
Cavani, who began the game on the bench, joined the action after 67 minutes, replacing Darwin Nunez in attack as Diego Alonso’s team saw out the victory.
After the match, Pellistri tweeted: "Live it in this place 
Proud to be part of this beautiful campus 
Thank you! 
"
Vivirla en este lugar 💙
— Facu Pellistri (@FPellistri07) March 25, 2022
Orgulloso de formar parte de este hermoso plantel 🇺🇾 Gracias! 🤩 @Uruguay #ElEquipoQueNosUne pic.twitter.com/iNq1I9UE3u
Throughout the match, Pellistri displayed incisive passing and was tireless in his pressing, fully contributing to a triumphant team performance.
In fact, Uruguayan newspaper El Observador gave the 20-year-old a match rating of seven out of ten, labelling him as one “of the best” players on the pitch.
This Tuesday night, La Celeste face Chile in the final qualifier of the campaign, but they will have to do so without Pellistri.
The young midfielder received a yellow card against Peru and is therefore ruled out for the fixture.
Cavani will have to wait to see if he features from the start this time, but Pellistri’s absence will be felt by Diego Alonso’s side, with the midfielder having started the past three matches for his country since his international debut on 27 January.
🤭 𝗟𝗮 𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝟭𝟭
— Selección Uruguaya (@Uruguay) February 2, 2022
El show de Facundo. #ElEquipoQueNosUne pic.twitter.com/maROT2Df9n
In addition, in all three of Pellistri’s appearances, Uruguay have won, with victories over Paraguay, Venezuela, and now Peru seeing the South American giants catapult from doubtful World Cup qualifiers to guaranteed participants.
And with the March international break being the last of the current season, Pellistri’s suspension means that he will have to focus on domestic football for the rest of the campaign as he looks to help loan club Deportivo Alaves remain in La Liga.
Currently in 19th position, they return to action with a tough fixture this Saturday, away to Atletico Madrid - United's Champions League conquerors.