Thanks to goals from Nicolás De La Cruz and Darwin Núñez in the first half, Uruguay concluded a good test on Tuesday by beating Canada 2-0 in a friendly match between teams that will participate in the World Cup in two months.

De La Cruz opened the scoring with a free kick from the left flank in the sixth minute. The attacking midfielder nailed the ball into the top corner of the goal defended by Milan Borjan.

Uruguay’s efficiency made up for Canada’s greater ball possession.

With the attacking partnership consisting of Luis Suárez and Núñez, La Celeste generated constant danger.

After half an hour in the Slovak city of Bratislava, Suárez caressed the second goal with a volley that went just wide. But Núñez headed a cross from Suárez in the 33rd minute for the 2-0.

“Generally we played very well in the first half, we were able to be aggressive under pressure,” said Uruguay coach Diego Alonso. “In the last 15 (minutes) I feel like we lost control a bit because we played too much in transition.”

They were the last whites in those squads before their squads were announced ahead of the World Cup in Qatar which kicks off on November 20.

Uruguay, who had just lost 1-0 to Iran on Friday, will make their debut on the 24th against South Korea. Portugal and Ghana will be their other rivals in Group H.

The friendly match against Iran resulted in a major loss for Celeste, as their defender Ronald Araujo suffered an adductor longus tendon avulsion in his right thigh. The Barcelona player will undergo surgery in Finland on Wednesday and his World Cup presence is in jeopardy.

Alonso addressed the situation with one of his main chips and said he would wait for the 23-year-old until the last moment.

“I told Ronald in private: I’ll wait for him,” said the Uruguayan helmsman. “We think medically he has clear options to be able to reach the World Cup.”

“Let’s wait for the evolution… I’ll wait for the 26 I have in my head until the end,” he added, referring to the maximum allowed number of players who can be summoned.

Canada returns to a World Cup for the first time since 1986. Its debut will be November 23 against Belgium in a Group F completed by Croatia and Morocco.

The Canadians were coming off a 2-0 win over Qatar.

Although bottom of the scoreboard in Bratislava, Canada had more ball possession and generated a good string of chances. Alistair Johnston missed the equalizer with a header that went wide past Alphonso Davies’ cross in the 12th minute. Uruguay goalkeeper Sergio Rochet covered a left-footed shot from Cyle Larin in the 24th minute.

Both teams made many changes after the break and the game got boring. Canadian pressure grew intense in the final half hour – Davies demanded Rochet again – but they couldn’t find a way to break through the Uruguayan goal.