Uruguay’s bitterly disappointed manager and players blamed penalty decisions against them for their exit from the World Cup today after they beat Ghana 2-0, but were pipped to a last 16 spot by South Korea due to an inferior number of goals scored.
Uruguay finished Group H on four points, the same as South Korea, and would have qualified on the next deciding criteria of goal difference had they conceded one goal less or scored one goal more during their three games in Qatar.
Coach Diego Alonso pointed to a controversial late penalty awarded to Portugal in their second group game, a 2-0 loss. At the end of the win over Ghana, his players confronted the referee complaining about several unsuccessful penalty appeals.
“FIFA told us that the Portugal penalty was not a penalty, there you have the proof of what happened,” said a stoney-faced Alonso. “The team did everything they could to get into the second round, we’re going home with a bad taste in our mouth.”
Aggrieved striker Luis Suarez was blunter, saying football’s governing body had an agenda against his nation.
“FIFA is always against Uruguay,” said Suarez, complaining that Darwin Nunez and Edinson Cavani should both have been given penalties for fouls by Ghana.
“After the match, I wanted to go and hug my family and people from FIFA come and tell me ‘no’, but you see a Frenchman with his children on the substitutes’ bench,” he added.
Suarez was substituted when his team was 2-0 up and had appeared to be going through to the knockout stage, before South Korea scored their late winner to beat Portugal 2-1.
The veteran, in his fourth and probably final World Cup, wept when the final whistle went at the Al Janoub Stadium. “We gave our best, every one of us, the situation hurts. We were full of hope. It was not possible. We apologise for not getting through to the next round,” he said.
In the other Group H encounter, South Korea’s Hwang Hee-chan scored in added time to snatch a 2-1 comeback win over Portugal but they then faced an agonising ten minute wait on the pitch before discovering it was enough to send them into the World Cup last 16 on goals scored.
Having started the day bottom of Group H, Korea looked to be going out with a whimper as they trailed already-qualified Portugal 1-0, with Uruguay leading Ghana 2-0 half an hour into their game.
But when Kim Young-gwon levelled after 27 minutes they knew one more goal could be enough – providing Uruguay did not extend their lead.
It came when talisman Son Heung-min broke from a Portugal corner and slipped a perfect pass to Hwang who fired past Diogo Costa to spark wild celebrations.
However, the other game had started its second half seven minutes later, leaving the Korean players and staff in a centre circle huddle, watching the action unfold across the city on mobile phones.
Another goal would have put the South Americans through but, though they piled forward, it did not materialise and the Koreans exploded in joy at having reached the knockout phase for the first time since 2010 – when they lost to Uruguay. Portugal top the final standings on six points.
South Korea and Uruguay have four points with the same goal difference but Korea went through to the knockout stage by virtue of scoring four goals to the two of Uruguay, who before Friday were the only team in the tournament not to have scored.
Two matches also played in Group G starting with Cameroon with a 1-0 victory over World Cup giants Brazil. Cameroon defeated a second-string Brazil team in their final Group G match at the Lusail Stadium on Friday but it was not enough as the African side were knocked out of the competition.
Cameroon finished third on four points, two points below second-placed Switzerland, who defeated Serbia 3-2. Brazil, who had already qualified, finished on top on goal difference with six points and will face South Korea in the last 16.
Fred, Antony and Bruno Guimaraes all came close to scoring, while Gabriel Martinelli was the stand-out player for the five-time champions, who looked set for a goalless draw.
But Cameroon finally broke the deadlock when Vincent Aboubakar powered in a header in the third minute of stoppage time before being sent off for collecting a second yellow card for taking off his shirt in the celebration.
Meanwhile in the other encounter, Switzerland reached the World Cup knockout phase for the third straight time after prevailing 3-2 over Serbia to finish runners-up in Group G and set up a last 16 showdown with Portugal. (Reuters)
