Uruguay fill up last vacant spot
23 Nov 2013 4:22 AM IST
After Uruguay thrashed the Jordanians 5-0 in the first leg in Amman last week, a capacity crowd at Montevideo’s famous Centenario Stadium had looked forward to seeing a full-strength Celeste side produce a high-scoring send-off.
However a fiercely committed Jordan frustrated the South Americans at every turn, defending in numbers and ruffling Oscar Tabarez’s men with a physical approach.
It did not stop the Uruguayan players and their fans from erupting in wild celebrations at the final whistle as fireworks exploded above the stadium. Earlier, three Jordanian players picked up bookings during a game that restored some pride for coach Hossam Hassan after his team were embarrassed on home soil last week.
Uruguay, the fifth ranked side in South America’s qualifying campaign became the last of 32 teams to qualify for next year’s World Cup in Brazil. Only a few months ago, 2010 World Cup semi-finalists Uruguay had been struggling to qualify, scraping into fifth place after mounting a late rally which saw them win four out of their five final qualifiers.
They join Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Chile as the South American representatives at the finals.
Jordan, who have never appeared at the World Cup finals, are ranked 64 places below Uruguay in the world. This is a good moment for the South American team.
However a fiercely committed Jordan frustrated the South Americans at every turn, defending in numbers and ruffling Oscar Tabarez’s men with a physical approach.
It did not stop the Uruguayan players and their fans from erupting in wild celebrations at the final whistle as fireworks exploded above the stadium. Earlier, three Jordanian players picked up bookings during a game that restored some pride for coach Hossam Hassan after his team were embarrassed on home soil last week.
Uruguay, the fifth ranked side in South America’s qualifying campaign became the last of 32 teams to qualify for next year’s World Cup in Brazil. Only a few months ago, 2010 World Cup semi-finalists Uruguay had been struggling to qualify, scraping into fifth place after mounting a late rally which saw them win four out of their five final qualifiers.
They join Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Chile as the South American representatives at the finals.
Jordan, who have never appeared at the World Cup finals, are ranked 64 places below Uruguay in the world. This is a good moment for the South American team.
Next Story
