Soccer News - FIFA KOREA

▶ Uruguay qualifies to the World Cup

[2001/11/26 ]

After 12 years, Uruguay reaches another World Cup

Montevideo, Uruguay: After 12 years of frustration, the uruguayan people can finally breathe after one and a half year of intense competition. The last ticket to Korea/Japan 2002 was on the line, 100.000 people were on the stadium, and the party was ready to go. I watched the game live, and quite honestly I think that Australia lost a lot of good oportunities.

The 1-0 difference that Australia had was very important, and I think that Australia should've used a different strategy. Counting on the fact that a visitors goal counts like 2, and since Uruguay didn't scored any goal in Melbourne, Australia should have waited for Uruguay and put more people in the middle field. One of their forwards, Viduka (I think), didn't have a good afternoon. I personally think that this qualification of Uruguay is due thanks to the opportunities that Australia lost in the first minutes of the second half.

Just as in the story of Ecuador, Viduka missed a goal less that two meters away! In games as important as these ones, I think that Viduka had the game on his hands. Uruguay and all the people in the stadiums, were very nervous, even wen Uruguay was winning 2-0 because Australia with a goal could've tied the series. If that would have been the case, 30 more minutes would have been added to the clock. Australia was a really tough team, but I honestly think that they put more emphazis in attacking Uruguay rather than defending and waiting for the rival, playing with the stress that Uruguay had, because the scenario that Uruguay had (score 2 goals in 90 minutes and avoid a single goal to be scored) was not an easy task.

Congratulations for the uruguayan people and for the australian people, you should be aware that individually Uruguay is one of the most complete teams now a days. Most of their players play in one of the most competitive european league, the Italian calcio and the defense that Uruguay had one of the best performances in all the Road to World cup season.

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