World Cup qualifiers for South Africa 2010 started on 25 August 2007. Now, 847 days later, we're at the final day. By kickoff time in Montevideo, 31 national teams would have secured their places in the finals next summer. There will remain room for one more, and it will be decided between Costa Rica and Uruguay. The road to South Africa finishes here, and I'll cover as much of it live as possible.
Here we go...
Uruguay 1-1 Costa Rica F
(Uruguay win 2-1 on aggregate)
Commentary after the jump.
A match that became incredibly thrilling and tense in the final 15 minutes, and one that made Uruguay suffer tremendously. Uruguay were the better team overall, but Costa Rica gave an honorable performance, more than held their own in Estadio Centenario, and refused to buckle under the pressure of history and mystique. They had their chance to steal a historic result in South America, but Alvaro Saborío will think of that late miss for a long time to come.
And how big was that goal in Saprissa last Saturday? Without that goal by Lugano, Costa Rica would have been on their way to South Africa.
Fireworks going off now in Montevideo as the Uruguayan team walk over to the four main stands that make up Estadio Centenario to accept the cheers of their supporters. "Soy Celeste" ringing out around the stadium, but as relief. "We only do things by suffering", says Jorge Ramos (who is Uruguayan by the way).
The Costa Rican national team will have to regroup and rebuild for the next World Cup qualifying cycle that starts in 2012. This is a bitter end to a qualifying process that started with the longest unbeaten streak in their history, got bogged down in the Hexagonal, and found themselves seconds away from a direct place in South Africa. But they made their country proud, and they made CONCACAF proud.
Well that's it from here. It's finally the end of the World Cup qualifiers after almost 18 months of action in CONCACAF. Thank you very much for following me and reading along, and I'll be back with reviews of this match and of the entire qualifying cycle. Next stop: the finals draw in Cape Town in two weeks' time on 4 December.
1803: URUGUAY QUALIFY TO 2010 WORLD CUP FINALS
1803: FULL TIME Uruguay 1-1 Costa Rica (2-1 aggregate)
1802: Throw-in to Costa Rica. One minute left. It comes in to Saborío who manages to lose. the. ball. They may not get the ball back.
1800: Danger may have passed for Uruguay. Maybe. Foul against Uruguay, free kick in center circle. Less than three minutes left.
1759: Excellent save by Navas to deny Abreu, after a fantastic buildup by Uruguay. Four minutes left.
1758: Haven't heard anything about how much time will be added on. Ah, there we go: SEVEN minutes.
1757: The commentators are saying it again, and I agree with them: this is not the Costa Rica team we were all expecting tonight. And you can say the same thing about Uruguay.
1756: Cross to Lugano, to Abreu....header can't find the target! We're into stoppage time now...
1755: Free kick to Uruguay, it's taken, bodies falling in the area, no whistle. Corner to Uruguay.
1753: Uruguay are just hanging on at the moment, the worst moment for them in the second half! This is incredible! Deathly silence in Centenario.
1752: Saborío had the 2-1! He had the 2-1! It was a clear effort on goal and he just missed it!
1752: Ramos is forecasting at least seven or eight minutes of stoppage time. That's about right.
1749: Match resumes. There will be TONS of stoppage time...this is going to be a heart-stopping finish in both countries.
1746: This is definitely NOT the image Uruguay was seeking to advance. And now police are on the field. Apparently, the camera was focusing on the Costa Rican substitutes bench, they felt it was focused on them too long, they signaled to the TV crew to move the camera away, and it came to blows. I don't have TV images right now, so I'm relying on Jorge Ramos and Hernan Pereyra on ESPN Radio, who are in Montevideo.
1745: Now a full-scale fight between TV technical crew, journalists, and the Costa Rican subs!! Unbelievable! You know FIFA is watching this!
1745: Corner to Costa Rica...header Centeno.....WIDE !!
1744: It's gotten very tense at the Centenario, and Costa Rica are holding possession. Ooooh, that was close by Fonseca!! Another Costa Rica corner!
1743: I'm hearing about a tense standoff between the TV technical crew and the Costa Rican substitutes. Someone encroached on someone else's area, I believe.
1741: Game on! World Cup qualification on! Just one more goal by Costa Rica, and they will be going to the World Cup! We're in the last 15 minutes of the World Cup qualifiers for sure.
1739: GOAL Uruguay 1-1 Costa Rica (75') (2-1 agg.)
Saborío!! It's not over yet!! On Costa Rica's first foray down the field, Alvaro Saborío shoots underneath the arms of Muslera, and it's 2-1!! Centenario very nervous!
1737: The match referee, Bussaca, is hurt and will have to be substituted out. The fourth official will take his place. Or is he? I'm hearing that Bussaca
1735: GOAL Uruguay 1-0 Costa Rica (70') (2-0 app)
This goal had been coming for a while, Uruguay had been probing with crosses from the left and right. It's the old standby, Sebastian Abreu, who scores the goal that will all but place Uruguay in South Africa. I think it was Scotti who supplied the cross for that one. Centenario erupts.
1731: Uruguay are starting to clamp down their authority on the game. Another cross from Lodeiro eludes Forlán. Crowd getting back into it as the stadium chants return.
1725: Costa Rica's defenders are able to win the ball in the back, and then they give the ball right back to Uruguay.
1722: Bad giveaway by Ruíz leads to a counterattack by Suárez, through ball to Forlán...GREAT SAVE Navas!!! Excellent reflex save to keep out that goal and keep Costa Rica in the World Cup!
1722: Uruguay are playing a bit slower -- that 'pausa' -- and Lodeiro has created some opportunities, but the final shots are flying all over the place.
1719: Now Uruguay have regained the initiative. Costa Rica have had the ball for significant periods but haven't been able to do much with it, aside from the shot in the first half.
1710: Second half now underway...the last 45 minutes of the World Cup qualifiers? Costa Rica are making some drives into the box.
1653: Uruguay are still in the World Cup with this result, but the crowd in Montevideo don't like their performance and whistle the team off the field. It's been a very evenly matched first half, very defensively oriented. Costa Rica are more than holding their own, but they need to chase the game in the second half. It will be interesting to see what kind of adjustments Simões makes in the second half.
1653: FULL TIME Uruguay 0-0 Costa Rica
Uruguay lead 1-0 on aggregate
1652: Almost a chance by Forlán to wrap up qualification, he slips behind the defense but the cross to him from the left takes a bad hop in front of him. Over the line the ball goes.
1651: That was a fairly weak attempt by Eguren to buy a foul. One more minute of stoppage time.
1649: The TV commentators are saying the same thing the radio commentators said: Costa Rica are holding their own, and Uruguay aren't as aggressive as people thought they would be. This definitely isn't the kind of match I was expecting.
1648: Long distance shot by Diego Pérez on the left sends Navas flying. He might have overextended something. What, I don't know, but he's back on his feet now.
1645: Saw a glimpse of the match. Very cold and misty in Montevideo.
1641: I listened to the first 25 minutes of the match on ESPN Deportes (sounds like Jorge Ramos and co. are at the stadium). Uruguay went for the early knockout but Navas kept Costa Rica in the match on at least two occasions. Costa Rica collected themselves after around the ten minute mark and actually had a long-distance effort on goal that had potential. The match has been very even since that point, but Uruguay's counterattacks are very dangerous with the speed of Forlán and Suárez.
1641: Fortunately, no one scored between the time that I got out of my car and sat down in the chair of my home office.
1640: I arrived home 10 minutes ago, and my computer has finally booted up.
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