They were the last team to stake their place at this year's world cup finals, and now Uruguay are the first team to seal themselves a spot in the quarterfinals after beating 2002 semi-finalists, South Korea 2-1, in Jo'burg yesterday.
In lashing rain, the winners of Group A played the runners-up of Group B in what appears to be the "easier" half of the table. For large parts of the game, it looked like South Korea were actually going to make it through to the quarters, for only the second time in their history, and for the first time on foreign soil. Within 5 minutes, they had a shot from a free kick which just hit the post. Had that gone in, it would have surely changed the way that Uruguay played during the game.
Uruguay were content to defend and break on the counter, like many teams we have seen already in this tournament. That might work when you are facing teams with a weak defence, but will it really be the winning strategy against sides who are much better at defending? Take Greece vs. Argentina for example - the Greeks operated in much the same way as the Uruguayans, but were undone in the end for failing to go forward, on the counter and break down the Argentinian defence. They refused to change their system, and ultimately said goodbye to the competition.
Fortunately for the Uruguayans, South Korea's defence was not in the best of shapes. This allowed them to score their first goal on the counter. It was the combination of Forlan and Suarez that again was responsible for taking Uruguay into the lead. Forlan stroked a low ball in across the face of goal, which was totally misjudged by the Korean keeper, Jung-Song Ryong who just watched as Suarez, who had taken a gamble, swept in to meet the goal and simply tap it into the net.
From then on though, all the pressing came from South Korea, with Monaco's Park Chu-Young getting the Asian side's best chances of the game, and being unlucky not to level the scores. With the score still at 1-0, and with Uruguay sitting on the back foot, it looked like the opportunity was there for South Korea to score one as they had the most possession and most of the play was in their opponent's half.
They got their break with 68 minutes on the clock, when Lee Chung-Yong capitalised on some indecisive goalkeeping by Muslera to nod in at the near post. Most of the goals S. Korea have scored in this tournament have come indirectly from deadball situations and this was no different. Victorino's attempted clearance could only fall to the Bolton player who did not miss from 8 yards out. The keeper should have done much better, as he failed to make any connection with the ball. I've said it before and I'll say it again - if the keeper is going to make that decision to come out of his posts, he needs to be certain that he's going to get there.
Looking as though the game was going to go to extra time, and possibly penalties, a great piece of fabulous individual skill from the potent Suarez was enough to give Uruguay the win they needed to advance further in the competition. The Ajax forward was on hand to receive the ball just inside the box, as it was swung in from the corner. He controlled it magnificently before swirling in a peach of a shot which hit the inside of the post and found its way in past a bemused and stunned Jung-Song Ryong who could only watch in shock. The bend on that ball was absolutely amazing, and it is definitely up as a contender for goal of the tournament.
The second goal was enough for Uruguay, as the South Koreans were unable to find a response, after only being level for 12 minutes. S. Korea were not creative enough in coming forward and breaking down the Uruguayan defence, and the South Americans were able to hold on to the ball without any real danger present. The only real shot on goal to level the game once more, came from ex-Boro player Lee Dong Gook, who during his time at the Riverside, had failed to score a single goal in the PL, and it was clear why. His shot was far too tame to test the keeper, and he should have done much better after finding himself in a good amount of space and with the keeper hesitating.
Uruguay's defensive strategy was enough to see them past a South Korean side, that should, in all honesty, have been far more clinical with their chances, but the question remains as to whether the team that won the first ever world cup, way back in 1938, will have enough left in the locker to undo sides who will not squander as many chances as South Korea did.
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