By Andrew Warshaw
November 12- On paper it’s an impossible task for the underdogs, the ultimate David versus Goliath showdown. Seemingly a foregone conclusion before a ball has even been kicked.
On one side, Uruguay, twice world champions and featuring the likes of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, two of the most fearsome players in world football.
On the other, unheralded Jordan, trounced 6-0 by Japan and 4-0 by Australia in qualifying yet, incredibly, on the brink of reaching the World Cup finals for the first time.
The eyes of the Middle East – and much of the rest of the world for that matter – will be on Amman on Wednesday to see whether Jordan can somehow upset the 2010 World Cup semifinalists and take a lead into the second leg of intercontinental playoff.
Stranger things have happened? Not really. Jordan are ranked 70th in the world and have only twice made it to the last eight of the Asian Cup, let alone the World Cup.
Injuries and suspensions have made the task even harder for coach Hossan Hassam whose squad have exceeded all expectations by making it even this far via a penalty shootout against Uzbekistan.
The game has plunged the country into a World Cup frenzy.”Nothing is impossible in football, and we have the right to dream,” said Jordan midfielder Baha Suleiman.
The Uruguayans are used to getting through via the playoffs as they did in 2002 and 2010 but have been warned against complacency. “We’ve studied our opponents and whoever thinks Jordan is Tahiti, that’s their problem,” coach Oscar Tabarez said in reference to Uruguay’s 8-0 mauling of the Oceania minnows in the Confederations Cup in June.
“Jordan don’t have any elite football players, but to make a match tough, that’s not necessary.”