2002 FIFA World Cup qualification (OFC–CONMEBOL play-off)

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2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
(CONMEBOL–OFC play-off)
Event2002 FIFA World Cup qualification
Australia Uruguay
Australia Uruguay
1 3
(on aggregate)
First leg
Australia Uruguay
1 0
Date20 November 2001
VenueMCG, Melbourne
RefereeGraziano Cesari (Italy)
Attendance84,656
WeatherPartly cloudy
15 °C (59 °F)[1]
Second leg
Uruguay Australia
3 0
Date25 November 2001
VenueEstadio Centenario, Montevideo
RefereeAli Bujsaim (UAE)
Attendance62,000
WeatherClear
16 °C (61 °F)[2]

The 2002 FIFA World Cup OFC–CONMEBOL qualification play-off was a two-legged home-and-away tie between the winners of the Oceania qualifying tournament, Australia, and the fifth-placed team from the South American qualifying tournament, Uruguay. The games were played on 20 November and 25 November 2001 in Melbourne and Montevideo respectively. Australia was hoping to play in the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1974 and Uruguay since 1990.

In the first leg, Australia beat Uruguay 1–0 in Melbourne while Uruguay took revenge in the second leg, easily defeating Australia 3–0 in Montevideo. Uruguay won the series 3–1 on aggregate, therefore qualifying for the World Cup held in Korea and Japan.[3][4]

Australian players were spat on, punched and abused by a mob of Uruguayan fans on arrival at Montevideo's international airport for the second leg.[5]

Venues[edit]

Melbourne Cricket Ground (left) and Estadio Centenario, venues for the series

Background[edit]

Uruguay Round Australia
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Argentina 18 13 4 1 42 15 27 43
 Ecuador 18 9 4 5 23 20 3 31
 Brazil 18 9 3 6 31 17 14 30
 Paraguay 18 9 3 6 29 23 6 30
 Uruguay 18 7 6 5 19 13 6 27
Final standings
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
 Australia 4 4 0 0 66 0 66 12
 Fiji 4 3 0 1 27 4 23 9
 Tonga 4 2 0 2 7 30 −23 6
 Samoa 4 1 0 3 9 18 −9 3
 American Samoa 4 0 0 4 0 57 −57 0
Final round
(OFC) 		Opponent Result
1st leg  New Zealand (A) 2–0
2nd leg  New Zealand (H) 4–1

Match details[edit]

First leg[edit]

2002 FIFA World Cup qualification playoff
First leg
Australia 1–0 Uruguay
Muscat 78' (pen.) (Report)
Attendance: 84,656

OFFICIALS

MATCH RULES

Second leg[edit]

Second leg
Uruguay 3–0 Australia
Silva 14'
Morales 70', 90'		 (Report)
Attendance: 62,000
Referee: Ali Bujsaim (UAE)

OFFICIALS

  • Assistant referees:
    • Ahmed Yaqqob Mohamed (UAE)
    • Ali Abdulla Makhlouf (UAE)
  • Fourth official: Musallam Al Bloushi (UAE)

MATCH RULES

  • 90 minutes
  • 30 minutes of extra-time if necessary
  • Penalty shoot-out if scores still level:
  • 3 (of 7) substitutions permitted

Aftermath[edit]

Uruguay qualified for the 2002 FIFA World Cup Finals in South Korea and Japan, and were drawn into Group A with defending champions France, Denmark and debutants Senegal. After losing 2–1 to Denmark in their opening match, Uruguay drew France 0–0 and in the final match they also drew 3–3 to Senegal despite being 3–0 down, finishing third in the group on two points.

Australia played in the 2002 OFC Nations Cup qualified automatically. The Socceroos were drawn into a group with Vanuatu, Fiji and New Caledonia and won 2–0, 11–0 and 8–0 respectively, and topped the group, proceeding to the semi-final stage. Against Tahiti, a goal from Damian Mori in extra time secured a 2–1 win and a place in the final against New Zealand. Australia lost 1–0, leaving the side as runners-up and New Zealand qualifying for the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Australia and Uruguay met again in the 2005 CONMEBOL-OFC play-off, with heightened security measures following the 2001 airport incident in Montevideo.[5]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "History for Melbourne Airport, VC". wunderground.com. 2001-11-20. Retrieved 2013-04-02.
  2. ^ "History for Montevideo, Uruguay". wunderground.com. 2001-11-25. Retrieved 2013-04-02.
  3. ^ Uruguay gana a Australia y completa la lista de 32 clasificados para el Mundial 2002 on El País, 25 Nov 2001
  4. ^ Por la última plaza al Mundial. on La Nación (Argentina), 24 Nov 2001
  5. ^ a b "Socceroos promised blanket security". 10 November 2005.
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