Uruguay 2
South Korea 1
There have been several tales in this World Cup of people driving unlikely distances to be here. None, however, eclipses the tale of a family who drove from Uruguay in an old Citroen to be at the World Cup.
Mario Sabah and adult sons Ismael and Matias froze in Canada,
baked in Pakistan and were frequently low on cash, but the quest looks inspired after the tiny South American nation made it to the quarter-finals for the first time in 40 years.
Luis Suarez, who plays for Ajax but will be in the big leagues soon, scored twice as Uruguay underlined what dark horses they are. Ahead early on, Uruguay sat back until conceding an equaliser 22 minutes from time to Bolton's Lee Chung Yong. Suarez then took them into the last eight with a superb 80th-minute strike.
"It is the most important goal in my career," he said. "What comes to mind at that time, the people you think about, are your wife, your daughter, the people of Uruguay who supported us in the bad times."
There have been plenty of them since their winning of the first World Cup in 1930, and another in 1950, but Uruguay do have a population not much larger than Wales. Yet in Suarez and Diego Forlan they have a front pair as good as anything at these finals.
Behind them is a resolute defence which has conceded only once in four games. They are eager and experienced. All but Egidio Arevalo play their club football in Europe.
"We have been trying to achieve this for a long time, with great players and good coaches, without success," said Oscar Tabarez, the coach.
Tabarez, who took Uruguay to the second round 20 years ago before falling to hosts Italy, said of their quarter-final challenge next Sunday: "We do not have to improve on many things, we simply have to capitalise on this."
On a pitch which looked as if England's rugby XV had been ploughing it up, both teams made nervous starts. None suffered more than South Korea's goalkeeper, Jung Sung Ryong, who unaccountably left Forlan's eighth-minute cross. Suarez finished neatly from a tight angle. The goal stunned the Koreans.
Then Uruguay failed to clear a deep free-kick and Lee Chung Yong bravely headed in.
Then Forlan's corner reached Suarez. He made space with a neat shimmy and curled a shot inside the far post. Uruguay duly pulled back again, and were nearly undone as Lee Dong Gook went clear.
Matias had said: "If we can make it this far in this car, then Uruguay can be
- INDEPENDENT