By Andrew Warshaw
November 14 – Uruguay and Mexico have all but booked their places in next year’s World Cup with thumping victories over rank outsiders Jordan and New Zealand respectively.
Unheralded Jordan’s dream of a first ever appearance in the finals, having miraculously reached the intercontinental playoffs, was always going to be a massive task against the two-time world champions and so it proved as they were thrashed 5-0 in Amman, with the second leg still to come next week.
Uruguay have required the playoffs to try and reach the last three finals – succeeding twice and failing once – but were semifinalists last time round in South Africa and used all their experience and superior skills against Jordan to put one foot in the finals.
The 1930 and 1950 World Cup winners finished fifth in South American qualifying, edged out of the automatic places by Ecuador on goal difference, but with the likes of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani in their lineup were always likely to have too much firepower for their Asian hosts who beat Uzbekistan on penalties to reach this stage.
Mexico will breath a huge sigh of relief after also taking a giant step towards the finals with a 5-1 win over New Zealand in the first leg of the other intercontinental play-off. Oribe Peralta scored twice, with Paul Aguilar, Raul Jimenez and Rafael Marquez also on target for new coach Miguel Herrera’s team.
Mexico, who have appeared at every World Cup since 1990, struggled in their qualifying group, winning just twice in 10 games, only just managing even to sneak into the playoffs after a dramatic injury time win by the US over Panama, knocking Panama out and putting the Mexicans into the play off spot.
New Zealand beat Bahrain in a play-off to qualify for South Africa in 2010 and although Chris James grabbed a late consolation goal for the Oceania champions at the Azteca Stadium, a repeat appearance in the finals is surely too great a task.
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