Uruguay end Iraq fairy tale to book spot in final
ISTANBUL Uruguay scored the equaliser in the 87th minute to draw 1-all with Iraq and won the penalty shootout 7-6 to reach the final of the Under20 World Cup on Wednesday.
Runners-up in 1997, Uruguay will play first-time finalists France tomorrow. The Europeans beat Ghana 2-1 in the first semifinal.
Iraq midfielder Saif Salman sent the decisive spot-kick over the crossbar after both teams missed one penalty. Gianni Rodriguez
– MUHSIN Ertugral returns to Cape Town on Sunday after an assignment with Fifa in his native Turkey and will have to play catch-up – with three weeks of pre-season preparations already completed by his club.
Ertugral, who must still sign his contract extension with Ajax Cape Town, has been part of the technical study group at the U-20 World Cup in Turkey.
It is an assignment the coach had already agreed to before he was parachuted in at had Uruguay’s first attempt saved by Iraq goalkeeper Mohammed Hameed and Ali Faez also missed the first for Iraq as he hit the post.
Uruguay substitute Gonzalo Bueno levelled the score with a volley in the closing minutes of regulation after Iraq took the lead in the first half via an Ali Adnan free-kick. Ajax in April to save them from possible relegation.
He will have to get straight back into the swing of things on Monday with Ajax, who have had a dramatic change of management in recent weeks after a horror season.
The club is also set to lose key player Khama Billiat, who had trials at Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow last week.
Ajax’s new boss Ari Efstathiou said yesterday Billiat could go at the right price although they had not heard back from the Russians about the Zimbabwe international.
Iraq missed the chance to reach the final of a Fifa tournament for the first time.
Their run to the semifinal has been warmly welcomed at home. Streets and cafes in Baghdad and other cities were the scene of jubilant celebrations after the wins over Paraguay and South Korea, but the streets remained calm in midweek. Iraq also drew a lot of Turkish fans, who switched allegiance after the host team lost in the first knockout round.
Striker Florian Thauvin scored both goals for France against Ghana, his two strikes coming on either side of an Ebenezer Assifuah goal for Ghana in the 47th minute – his fifth goal of the tournament.
France defender Samuel Umtiti was sent off for receiving a second booking in the 80th and will miss the final. –