Forlán's new Uruguay smiles again during Asia tour

Uruguay put the World Cup disappointment behind it and recovered its confidence during the Asian tour that ended on Tuesday with two victories and one defeat. Led by interim coach Diego Forlán, La Celeste rediscovered its scoring touch, gave minutes to emerging players and reignited the excitement of supporters already looking ahead to 2030.

• Uruguay lost 3-1 to Japan in Forlán's debut, conceding twice after the 90th minute.
• La Celeste thrashed South Korea 4-1 and India 6-1 in the following matches.
• Darwin Núñez ended the forwards' goal drought with a brace against South Korea.
• Juan Rodríguez and Thiago Cardozo made their senior international debuts in the tour finale.

Diego Forlán takes charge after the end of the Bielsa era

Marcelo Bielsa's spell ended in the worst possible way. Uruguay managed just two wins in its last ten matches, scored only eight goals and was eliminated in the World Cup group stage, a fate far below the standard of a side used to competing at major tournaments.

With no permanent replacement confirmed, the Uruguayan Football Association turned to Forlán to lead the under-20 team and, for now, the senior squad as well. The former Villarreal and Atlético Madrid striker took on the challenge of restoring the identity of a team built to be a protagonist.

A squad mixing veterans and fresh faces for the Asia tour

For the three friendlies, the coach called up 26 players. Established names such as Ronald Araujo, Darwin Núñez, Mathías Olivera, Giorgian de Arrascaeta and Rodrigo Bentancur shared the list with emerging talents including Santiago Mouriño, Juan Rodríguez, Facundo Bernal and Martín Satriano.

We have players with a lot of variety, good on the ball, goalscorers, strong defensively. We feel fortunate to have a wide range of top-level players.

That blend aimed to restore attacking options and freshness across every line, two clear weaknesses during the final stretch of the previous cycle.

Opening defeat to Japan: a scoreline harsher than the performance

Forlán's debut ended in a 3-1 loss to Japan that did not entirely reflect what happened on the pitch. The match remained level until the 90th minute, but goals from Kento Shiogai and Ayase Ueda in stoppage time sealed the win for Hajime Moriyasu's side.

Uruguay used two strikers with Darwin Núñez and Federico Viñas, chasing a goal that its forwards had been unable to find for too long. Viñas and Rodrigo Aguirre had been the last attackers to score, in the 3-0 win over Peru in the penultimate round of South American qualifying. Since then, the called-up goalscorers went 990 minutes without finding the net.

South Korea and Darwin Núñez's return to scoring

The negative run ended in the second match of the tour. Uruguay beat South Korea 4-1 to give Forlán his first win as national team coach, with Darwin Núñez scoring twice and restoring confidence among the Celeste forwards.

The result confirmed the team needed to reconnect with the opponent's goal to move forward. The victory delivered strong collective feelings and cleared the doubts left by the opening loss in Japan.

India, a heavy win and debuts for Juan Rodríguez and Thiago Cardozo

The tour ended with a commanding 6-1 win over India. Forlán faced the match with injury absences and other setbacks: Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Mathías Olivera, Sebastián Cáceres and Martín Satriano were unavailable due to different physical issues. Brian Rodríguez also missed out because of a passport problem.

Even so, La Celeste proved far superior to its opponent. Maximiliano Araújo showed he is a key piece, Darwin Núñez scored again and Juan Rodríguez and Thiago Cardozo made their senior debuts.

What Uruguay has at stake in the Copa América and the 2030 World Cup

The Asia tour was only the first step of a project with two major targets ahead. The next Copa América stands as the most immediate test of the group's growth, while the 2030 World Cup, one hundred years after the first tournament was staged in Montevideo, is the defining mission for this generation.

With Forlán in charge, at least for now, Uruguay began the new path with wins, goals and a recovered smile. The challenge is to keep that momentum when the games start to matter.