Mexico 0 Uruguay 1: match report

The football world owed an apology to Uruguay and Mexico here in Rustenburg today as the two teams, who had been the subject of dark mutterings about fixing their Group A encounter to ensure they both progressed, made such allegations seem like grievous insults.
Far from both being happy to settle for the draw which would have guaranteed their qualification, both sides pushed for victory with an urgency which, pleasingly, demonstrated that they were rather more interested in not having to face Argentina in the next round than settling for any old place in the last 16.

Ultimately, Uruguay won its jackpot through a Luis Suarez goal just before half-time, but both teams did, as expected, make it through, which was the fitting reward for their surprising enterprise.
Yet there were moments, during a largely disappointing performance from the Mexicans, that the Uruguayan lead held out hope for fans of Bafana Bafana, listening to news of their triumph over France. Indeed, no South African supporter could blame Uruguay for not offering them a golden opportunity.
Now, Uruguay themselves have a fine opportunity. With an attractive strike force and one of the meanest, most streetwise defences in the competition, they march on to the second round, as one of only three teams, alongside Chile and Holland, yet to have conceded a goal.
Those who had talked of a contrived affair to echo the inspipid farce of West Germany versus Austria in the 1982 edition - the infamous affair when the two teams conspired through sheer inactivity to guarantee their qualification for the next round – were to be quickly disabused as, almost from the outset, the combatants in the Royal Bafokeng Stadium thrust at each other with gusto.
Suarez, the Ajax predator, could and should have put the Uruguayans ahead within six minutes, after some comedy defending from Francisco Rodriguez and Hector Moreno enabled him to home in on Oscar Perez but his shot flew wide of the far post.
Mexico, cheered on by a vast bank of green shirts in the Rustenburg sunshine, appeared peculiarly absent minded early on, gifting possession to
Uruguay on several occasions and they could easily have been punished if Mauricio Victorino, unmarked at a corner, had been more accurate with his header and if Alvaro Pereira hadn’t smashed a left foot drive on the run way wide.
Still, Mexico, spurred by the surprise recall of their venerable legend, 37-year-old Cuauhtemoc Blanco in place of their injured Arsenal star Carlos Vela, were enjoying the party atmosphere too.
Giovani Dos Santos weaved his way through before only being halted by a superb Jorge Fucile challenge and then a stupendous 30 yard strike from Deportivo La Coruna’s Andres Guradado crashing against Fernando Muslera’s crossbar.
Yet the Mexican defence looked vulnerable every time the Forlan- Suarez double act hit them on the counter and the thousands of yellow shirted fans in the crowd who were getting more excitable by the minute about news emanating from Bloemfontein suddenly went quite delirious as Uruguay took the lead.
Having pushed men forward, Mexico were hit by a lightning counter, resulting in a fine cross from Edinson Cavani finding Suarez in glorious isolation in the Mexico box.
The man who scored 49 goals for Ajax last season was not about to miss with the simplest of headers.
All of South Africa were by now urging Uruguay to go for the jugular and to their credit, they did not sit on their lead, with captain Diego Lugano’s goal-bound header requiring a brilliant stop from Perez.
As a touch of desperation began to pinch Mexico, Rodriguez spurned a wonderful chance to equalise, wasting Pablo Barrera’s pinpoint cross by nudging his header wide.
A Salcido shot was nearly latched on to by Framco in the dying minutes but Uruguay, marshalled by the splendid Jorge Fucile, were not about to budge.