The second leg of this World Cup play-off will take place at the Centenario on Wednesday with some favor for the home side on that night.

Uruguay match analysis

The Uruguayans defied all the odds by beating Costa Rica 1-0 through Diego Lugano’s first half goal.

Uruguay were usually poor away from home throughout the qualifiers but their passion and determination last Saturday paid-off with a victory against an excellent Costa Rica team.

Uruguay missed out on the opportunity of qualifying automatically for the World Cup against Argentina in the last match-day of the South American zone, but their captain Diego Lugano carried the team on his shoulders as he scored the only goal of the match in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica match analysis

Costa Rica were terrible away from home during the CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers with three defeats in five outings and their poor statistics explain that they will be denied from reaching South Africa next summer if there is no miracle on Wednesday.

For Costa Rica’s Brazilian boss Rene Simoes, the gates are open and the paths are done for his team to comeback and cruise into the promise land.

Reflecting on Saturday’s loss to Uruguay at home, the manager explained:

“The first half was decisive and our form was poor. In the second period, we started playing despite the fact that we were one man down.