Referee: W Stark (Germany). Attendance: 30,597
If this is to be South America’s World Cup, success is routed via Europe. The many impressive displays from South American nations in part reflect the power of European clubs.
“There are very many South American players these days playing high-skill football in Europe,” Edinson Cavani, the Uruguay and Palermo forward, said.
Nine of Uruguay’s starters in Port Elizabeth play in Europe. Now a nation with a slightly bigger population than Wales is in its first quarter-final since 1970. Diego Forlán, of Atlético Madrid, and Luis Suárez, of Ajax, have scored five of Uruguay’s six goals and the latter has three in the finals after a brace on Saturday.
The first, crowning a cross by Forlán from a sharp angle; the second, in the 80th minute, outstanding: the kind of precise, curling shot that is not supposed to be possible with the Jabulani ball.In between, Lee Chung Yong drew South Korea level with a header.
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Uruguay (4-3-3): F Muslera — M Pereira, D Lugano, D Godín (sub: M Victorino, 46min), J Fucile — D Pérez, E Arévalo, Á Pereira (sub: N Lodeiro, 74) — E Cavani, D Forlán, L Suárez (sub: Á Fernández, 84).
South Korea (4-2-3-1): Jung Sung Ryong — Cha Du Ri, Cho Yong Hyung, Lee Jung Soo, Lee Young Pyo — Ki Sung Yueng (sub: Yeom Ki Hun, 85), Kim Jung Woo — Lee Chung Yong, Kim Jae Sung (sub: Lee Dong Gook, 61), Park Ji Sung — Park Chu Young. Booked: Kim Jung Woo, Cha, Cho.