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Uruguay on brink of World Cup berth after routing Jordan in playoff first leg

Uruguay (AP)

By FRANCO PANIZO

Forget having one foot in the door. Uruguay is as close to having both in as any team could after playing just the first leg of a playoff series.

Uruguay all but looked to have assured its place in next summer’s World Cup in Brazil on Wednesday by going on the road and thrashing Jordan, 5-0. Five different players found the back of the net for the Uruguayans, including Maxi Pereira, Edinson Cavani and Cristian Rodriguez.

Pereira scored the winner against the overwhelmed Jordanians in the 22nd minute and Uruguay ran mostly rampant from there. Cristian Stuani and Nicolas Lodeiro added insurance goals before the 70th minute. Rodriguez netted eight minutes later before Cavani capped the masterful performance with a free kick strike in second-half stoppage time.

The return leg of the playoff series will be played in Montevideo, Uruguay on Nov. 20.

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What do you think of Uruguay’s 5-0 victory over Jordan? Impressed by the big win considering it came on the road? Are Jordan’s chances of reaching the 2014 World Cup over or under one percent?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. The amazing thing is FIFA right now has Uruguay as one of the eight seeded teams for the WC. The eighth best team in the world doesn’t end up in a playoff narrowly making it to the WC. FIFA proves once again its lack of smart leadership.

    Reply
  2. It doesn’t sound fair to Costa Rica at all. They played Uruguay to qualify 4 years ago in which they lost. Mexico gets to play a weaker NZ. The football gods are doing all they can to get Mexico in, and Mexico is doing all they can to make it harder. We’ll find out in a couple of hours.

    Reply
  3. Perhaps their is no corrolation, but this can’t help the image hit FIFA has taken for awarding Qatar the 2022 World Cup, a nation that finished 4th in its final WCQ group and third of four in its 2013 Gulf Cup of Nations group. Jordan, the Middle Eastern nation that actually made the playoff this cycle, just got smoked at home 5-0 by an underachieving Uruguay side. Why not let them host?

    Reply
    • Certainly doesn’t help.

      So much is made of the “emerging” football culture in Arab nations. While I have no doubt that they have some really passionate fans willing to invest a lot of time and money, the success just isn’t there. The North African teams barely make the Finals anymore now that the rest of their continent has awakened, and the Arab nations in Asia are clearly inferior to the East Asian sides – the top-finishing Arab team usually just has the dubious distinction of losing in the IC playoff.

      Reply
  4. if they kept the 2010 format we could have been watching Mexico vs. Uruguay today! that would have been more exciting, but its probably better this way..

    Reply

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