And there’s the final whistle!
Cross-field ball from Forlan finds Sourez in the box. He takes it down sweet and just lobs it over the keeper to Pereira at the back post. He threw himself at it, and the ball found its way past Joseph.
Goal Uruguay!!!
The Uruguay fans are belting out the songs in the stands while the South Africans file out early. Hopefully this won’t mean a loss of interest in the tournament by the hosts.
Perez is off for Walter Gargano, a Napoli player. He might be disapointed not to have started in both of Uruguay’s games and he has to make do with a 90th minute arrival. There will be five minutes of extra time.
Uruguay are looking dangerous on the break here. Cavani is going off for Sebastian fernandez. Cavani has been awful tonight, missed a hat-full of chances.
South Africa have not been beaten in 13 games – with just over 5 minutes left to play you would have to say that run looks to be over. Like a fat bird at a party in the Playboy Mansion, they just don’t look like scoring.
Forlan smashed it home and Josephs’ first touch of the ball is when he picks it out of the back of the net. You have to feel for South Africa but on the plus side, that second goal shut the vuvus up for a few moments. You could actually hear the crowd cheering!
Goal Uruguay!!!
That was harsh, there was minimal contact there. The keeper is devestated as he goes down the tunnel. Pienaar is being pulled off to make way for sub keeper Josephs, who now has to face a penalty from Diego Forlan….
South Africa struggle to clear their lines and it falls to Suarez who is onside with only the keeper to beat! He’s brought down by the out-streched leg of Khune! Ref says penalty and sends off Khune!
Penalty Uruguay!!!
South Africa win a free – they have a chance to whip one into the area – it’s Shabalalalalabbaaa to take… fails to beat the first man.
Alvaro Fernandez is coming on for Fucile. The latter just hasn’t recovered from that earlier challenge.
Dikgacoi nearly carved the back legs off Fucile with a two-footer. He’s already on a yellow – blessed the ref didn’t spot it.
Sorry to break this to you Sean, but your comment about the Forlan family was way off:
‘Don’t know what that lad was talking about on the Forlan family. Diego scored against Senegal in 2002. Opta has a stat that Forlan’s two World Cup goals have been against African sides from outside the box.
Put that in your pipe, Sean Carroll!
Tommy Hickey, Thomastown.’
Cheers Tommy. In return for sharing your knowledge, we will pass on the opportunity to take the piss out of the fact that you’re called Thomas and are from Thomastown.
Substitute Moriri’s first name is ‘Surprise’. Obviously born after some careful planning by his parents.
South Africa are pressing – they’ve started to string their passes together a bit better in the middle of the park and are enjoying more possession. That said, their final ball is still proving poor.
South Africa make a substitution – Moriri is on for Lethsolonyane. This is Moriri’s first appearance in the World Cup – he has just over a half an hour to make a difference for the hosts.
Uruguay win a free kick – Forlan whips it into the box with pace! It’s a great ball and it finds Lugano! What a cabbage – he had a free header there and some how managed to make no contact on the ball with his head whatsoever. He jumped well for it but appeard to get some sort of stomach cramp which caused him to double up in mid-air. The ball bounced off his back and away.
Suarez burst his mouth and was forced off until the bleeding can be stemmed. He’s back on, but is running around with what looks like a tampon in his mouth. He’s having a good game all the same. He’s switched wings a couple of times and has made life difficult for the full-backs on both sides.
Uruguay win a free close to the corner flag. Forlan to take… goes right through the bodies and bounces harmlessly away without anyone getting on the end of it.
Suarez bursts down the left, cuts inside, skins his man and plays it to Cavani. He shoots! Didn’t get a clean contact on it, and it fizzes wide. That was a real chance.
Feel free to send us your thoughts on the game, your result predictions and who you think deserves Man of the Match.
The second-half is now underway!
The South Africans are having a second huddle just before the start of the final 45 minutes. Strange. Could they not of had a chat in the dressing room they were just sitting in?
The tie currently being worn by Bill O’Herlihy is a national outrage. I feel drunk when I look at it.
Simon in Athlone is liking what he sees:
“Today’s games have been way better than the others so far. The Spain and Chile games were very good and the first half of this one hasn’t been bad. Hopefully it’s going to keep improving!”
Have to agree. If nothing else, the players will be more used to the ball and the conditions as it wares on.
And there’s the half-time whistle! The difference is a Diego Forlan goal – it was a sweet shot but took a nasty deflection. George Hamilton is in typical ring-talk humour. “We’ll be right back after we’ve paid the bills,” he says. Hang your head in same, George.
Dikgacoi has picked up a yellow and will miss the next match. He clattered into Suarez to get his second card in two games. That’s hard on him all the same.
We’ve had an interesting bit of trivia from Sean Carroll from Newcastlewest:
‘That’s the first Forlan goal was a long time coming. Diego’s father Pablo was selected for the 1966 World Cup and appeared in the 1974 tournament. Diego made it to the 2002 World Cup and didn’t get a goal, so that’s the first goal in four World Cup appearances.’
Very nice Sean. I hope you’re not watching this one with your girlfriend because if you’ve shared that one with her she’s probaby going to dump you.
South Africa struggle to clear their lines, and gift the ball back to Uruguay at the edge of the area. It finds its way to Suarez who cuts towards the by-line and lets one fly a lá Maicon! Side netting. That’s what’s supposed to happen when you shoot from that sort of angle.
We’re at the 30-minute mark and it’s been a bright enough game so far. The goal seems to have taken the wind out of the South Africans’ sails to some degree. Just hoping the defensively-minded Uruguayans don’t try to sit on their lead.
I was hoping the goal would stop the vuvuzelas for a few moments. Not the case unfortunately. You can’t hear the irritating plastic horns so I’m going to replicate that irritation by banging on about them.
And it’s Diego Forlan. He picked it up and strolled into range! The South Africans just backed off him, giving him the space to shoot. Forlan let fly and it took a deflection on the way in, dipped wickedly and left the keeper stranded.
Goal Uruguay!!!!!
Some slack passing out there. Both teams just lost possession after a woefully over-hit pass each in the space of a minute. Like a testicular cancer specialist, I’m pointing the finger at the ball.
Modise dives and the ref buys it. South Africa have a free in a good position, to the right of the box. Modise and Shabalala standing over it. The latter takes – headed down at the back stick by centre-half Khumalo before being cleared.
Uruguay are playing defensively. They’ve set up in a way that is quite similar to how they approached the French game and seem reluctant to commit men forward. It’s a shame really, the South Africans are no great shakes at the back.
Poor pass from Peres and it’s intercepted! Finds its way to Shabalala who shoots! High and wide. Very big ask, taking on the shot from there.
Only joking, of course they haven’t. Louder and more head-wrecking than ever.
This is really, really weird – the vuvuzelas have all stopped!
South Africa are moving the ball around well in the centre of the park. They don’t look as petrified as they did in the opening stages of their first game.
Pienaar looses a boot in a tackle in the middle of the park and looks upset. I would be too. They’re nice boots.
Uruguay win a free of their own, at the edge of the South African box, and it’s Forland to take… Pienaar has broken the wall and handled! He gets a yellow and the free is to be re-taken. The face on Forlan, disguisted isn’t the word. His second effort rebounds straight off the wall and clear.
South Africa win an early free – whipped in by Modise. Great ball – sent into the box with pace! Headed clear by the Uruguayan defence. Goes out for the first corner of the game. Modise takes – the Uruguayans have let it bounce in the 6-yard box! Brief scramble before it’s cleared.
Forlan gets his first touch of the game. Uruguay will be looking for a big game from him. South Africa meanwhile will have to contain him if they are to get a result.
And we’re underway!
The anthems are underway. Moving stuff – it’s the only part of the game you don’t have to suffer the vuvu tooters.
The odds on this one are interesting. South Africa are 21/10, Uruguay are 7/5 and the draw is 21/10.
The noise of the vuvuzelas is worse than normal. There must be more vuvus than there are people in the stadium.
John Giles and Ronnie Whelan reckon South Africa are frail at the back – and that Uruguay will take this one.
South Africa have won only two of their 13 games against South American opposition. They didn’t even get a goal on six of those matches.
These two teams have met twice before – Uruguay won 4-3 in a 1997 Confederation Cup game and they played out a 0-0 draw in a 2007 friendly. This however, will be the first time they have played in a World Cup.
Here is how the teams should look:
South Africa: Khune, Khumalo, Monkoena, Gaxa, Masilela, Modise, Lethsolonyane, Dikgacoi, Tshabalala, Pienaar, Mphela.
Uruguay: Muslera, Victorino, Godin, Lugano, M Pereira, A Pereira, Gonzalez, Arevalo, Perez, Forlan, Suarez.
Kick-off for this one is 7.30pm but we will be dropping a few stats and quotables before then, so don’t go wandering off.
