Costa Rica and Uruguay played the first match of the CONCACAF/CONMEBOL playoff series. Here's how it all turned out.
Costa Rica 0-1 Uruguay F
Commentary after the jump.
Uruguay have taken control of this CONCACAF/CONMEBOL playoff. They pressed well, defended well, and took advantage of Costa Rica's deficiencies in central defense to score the go-ahead goal. I thought that Costa Rica's offensive efforts were toothless and confused, but Uruguay's pressure had a lot to do with that. On to Montevideo where Uruguay will look forward to confirming their place in South Africa. It's not over yet, but Costa Rica's climb has just been tilted many degrees uphill.
That's it for my coverage of the CONCACAF/CONMEBOL playoff for South Africa 2010. See you on Wednesday.
2057: FULL TIME Costa Rica 0-1 Uruguay
2053: Into stoppage time. Uruguay almost halfway home to a place in South Africa.
2048: Yep. Luís Suárez almost scored Uruguay's second but was saved off the line by Junior Díaz.
2043: Under eight minutes now. Not sure how Costa Rica plan on getting back in this series. And you get the feeling that Uruguay are closer to the second goal than Costa Rica to the equalizer.
2035: Fifteen minutes to go. If Costa Rica manage to score, it looks likely to be from a set-piece, or a carom, or something like that.
2030: Here's something with Rolando Fonseca. He centers it and Lugano almost turns it into his own net but the ball bounces over for a corner.
2029: Saborío with the ball. All that possession in the Uruguay half, and no other ticos to support him.
2026: Costa Rica have more possession in the second half, but it's not sustained or even coherent possession.
2026: And Forlán had an opportunity to secure the tie as he receives the ball on the left side, but fires high and wide.
2025: Marín and Fonseca are two players who are playing their final home World Cup qualifiers.
2023: Luís Marín has been substituted out, I didn't see who replaced him. I think it was Rolando Fonseca. Marín was not happy with that decision. At all.
2012: YELLOW/RED CARD Costa Rica (52')
Costa Rica's chances of getting back into this match have taken a huge hit. Randall Azofeifa has just picked up his second yellow card, and Costa Rica are down to ten men.
2004: Sure did take a while for the Uruguayans to make their way to the field. At any rate, the second half is underway now.
2000: Second half about to start....this is the seventh playoff involving South American teams, with South America losing only twice (Bolivia in 1981 and Uruguay in 2005).
Uruguay have coped better with the artificial surface and scored the critical away goal through Diego Lugano. They've controlled most of the match and deserve to be 1-0 up.
1948: HALFTIME Costa Rica 0-1 Uruguay
1947: Into stoppage time, just a minute added. A corner to Costa Rica and Umaña's header flies wide of the net.
1944: Ruíz just missed the best chance for Costa Rica to equalize. He was guarded, but the chance was there, and he shot it high over the bar.
1941: A superb effort by Forlán on the left side, using his speed, dribbling past three, then four Costa Rican defenders, darting in then out...no shot results from it, but what a great individual display!
1939: Free kick to Costa Rica, right in front of the Uruguayan penalty area. Centeno takes it, curls it into the hands of Muslera.
1934: On the other side, Lodeiro hasn't had a good game. And why is Forlán stuck in midfield?
1932: Uruguay are clearly in control here. Costa Rica's forward efforts are very disjointed and the midfield players aren't linking up very well.
1931: Azofeifa has just been shown a yellow card, and it could have easily been red. Undiano has been surprisingly reluctant to show cards tonight, given his recent history.
1927: Gilberto Martínez has been subbed out. After all the effort taken to get him back into the lineup, and considering Costa Rica's thinness at central defense, that is a huge blow to Tico hopes. And the comms are saying that Martínez may not be able to play on Wednesday, either.
1923: GOAL Costa Rica 0-1 Uruguay (22')
Corner to Uruguay, it's blocked away twice but the Ticos don't clear their lines, and Diego Lugano fights his way to the center of the area to poke the ball past Navas.
1922: And an even closer effort by Uruguay. Forlán uses his speed to catch up with the bouncing ball on the left, and shoots from a very tight angle. The ball skips over the goalmouth and it cleared away for a corner.
1922: I think if Uruguay can get out of this game with a draw and no one hurt then it will be a very good result for them.
1921: A very close effort by Costa Rica. Bolaños with the ball on the left, puts in a shot with his left foot and it caroms off a Uruguayan defender but lands in the hands of Muslera. Very very fortunate charrúas.
1919: Lodeiro went in very high with his thigh on Celso Borges. What Undiano chose not to show a yellow card is beyond me. The South American commentators that I'm listening to are saying the same thing.
1916: But Uruguay also have Luis Suárez, and he lets fly an unguarded shot that goes over Navas' crossbar.
1915: I've noticed that Diego Forlán is dropping back deep into midfield to collect the ball the last couple of plays. Costa Rica will be just fine with that.
1912: Saprissa crowd sounds very quiet. What's up with that?
1912: Gilberto Martínez has been carted off the pitch. From the replays it looks like he got hit in a sensitive spot.
1910: The game is being played at a very fast pace, and that's likely the effect of the artificial surface. Fast and disjointed.
1907: Both sides making the early forays, Ruíz's effort goes wide, while Uruguay earn a corner at the other end.
1902: And away we go!
1901: Just about to kickoff. Let me give you the starting lineups for both teams:
Costa Rica: Keylor Navas -- Luis Marín, Gilberto Martínez, Roy Miller -- Cristian Bolaños, Esteban Sirias -- Randall Azofeifa, Walter Centeno, Celso Borges -- Álvaro Saborío, Bryan Ruíz.
Uruguay: Fernando Muslera -- Diego Godín, Diego Lugano, Mauricio Victorino -- Álvaro González, Álvaro Pereira -- Sebastián Eguren, Álvaro Fernández -- Nicolás Lodeiro -- Diego Forlán, Luís Suárez.
1855: It's been a long day of World Cup qualifiers all over the world, and now attention will shift to this region as Costa Rica and Uruguay meet to decide what will be the final berth in South Africa next summer.
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