Suarez bids farewell as Paraguay hold Uruguay in World Cup qualifier

Montevideo (Uruguay): Luis Suarez bid an emotional farewell to international football as Uruguay were held to a goalless home draw by Paraguay in their World Cup qualifier here on Friday.

The 37-year-old striker, a cornerstone of Uruguay’s national team since 2007 and its all-time leading scorer, was given the captain’s armband by manager Marcelo Bielsa for his last match, Xinhua reported.

And the Inter Miami star came close to making his final appearance a memorable one, striking a stunning volley in the 18th minute that ricocheted off the post.

It was the closest either side came to breaking the deadlock in a mostly dour struggle at Centenario Stadium.

Suarez played the full 90 minutes and received a prolonged standing ovation after the final whistle as each of his 69 Uruguay goals was shown on the venue’s two giant screens.

There was also a moving video message from his good friend and Inter Miami teammate Lionel Messi that almost brought Suarez to tears as he watched on from the center of the pitch surrounded by his family.

Among the 60,000 people present at the stadium were former Uruguay manager Oscar Tabarez and ex-teammates Diego Godin, Diego Forlan and Diego Lugano.

“Uruguay is bigger than any player; from tomorrow I am just another fan and I will be always grateful to the Uruguayan people,” he said.

While Suarez will return to the United States with his family to prepare for his next match with Inter Miami, Uruguay now turn their attention to Tuesday’s away World Cup qualifier against Venezuela.

The Celeste are currently second in the 10-team South American zone standings with 14 points from seven qualifiers, four points behind leaders Argentina.

–IANS