Uruguay, Facing Early Exit, Beats S. Korea on Late Goal

A last-gasp goal today kept Uruguay in the World Cup as substitute Daniel Fonseca headed a shot home two minutes into injury time to give his team a 1-0 victory over South Korea.

With a tie--and elimination--looking inevitable, Fonseca rose to meet Alfonso Dominguez’s free kick from the right and headed it past South Korean goalkeeper Choi In Young.

For more than the regulation 90 minutes of the Group E game, Uruguay had looked unable to break the deadlock in a sterile contest marked by harsh tackling, much of it by the South Americans, who largely escaped unpunished.

Despite knowing that only victory would get them into the second round, the Uruguayans showed little urgency and both teams looked set to bow out of the World Cup.

Uruguayan Coach Oscar Tabarez attributed the tentative play of his team to tension and nerves.

“Maybe the excess of responsibility of having to win weighed on some players,” Tabarez said. “But we have now broken the spell that prevented us winning in the World Cup for 20 years.”

Even when South Korea was reduced to 10 men in the 72nd minute after Italian referee Tullio Lanese ejected defender Yoon Deuk Yeo--apparently for stalling--in one of many strange decisions, the Uruguayans could not make any impact.

Fonseca’s goal gave Uruguay its first win in World Cup finals since a 1-0 victory over the Soviet Union in 1970 in Mexico.

Uruguay wasted what few chances it created during regulation time. South Korea, whose slim hopes of remaining in Italy depended on it scoring a bunch of goals, created almost no opportunities.

Until their injury time salvation, the Uruguayans had come closest to scoring in the opening minute of each half when captain Enzo Francescoli received the ball in a wide-open position in front of the goal but shot lazily against a post.

As well as sending off Yoon, Lanese gave yellow cards to five other players--three South Koreans and two Uruguayans.