Uruguay came unbelievably close to reaching the second round, but close just isn’t good enough in the cut-throat business of World Cup qualification.
Their comeback from 3-0 down to 3-3 against Senegal was thrilling and they would have gone through had it not been for an amazing headed miss by Richard Morales in the closing stages.
That cost Uruguay their place in the finals, but the damage was effectively done when they failed to capitalise on Thierry Henry’s sending off in the 0-0 draw with France.
The second half of the Senegal match showed just what Uruguay are capable of, with incisive and exciting forward play, but it was too late to save them.
It was nice to see Diego Forlan score in that game… I wonder when he’ll get his first goal for Manchester United?
Strikes like that and the volley by Dario Rodriguez against Denmark were a bit special, but it takes more than a couple of flash goals to get you by sometimes.