Diego Forlán, Uruguay Put World Cup Host South Africa on the Brink

PRETORIA, South Africa -- Perhaps after his performance on Wednesday in Pretoria, Diego Forlán no longer will be regarded as an English Premier League bust. His two lousy seasons at Manchester United seem to be almost permanently attached to his name, an unfair burden for a player who's done nothing but score goals in Spain (about one every two games) over the past six years.

Now he can be known for something else, although it's not something that's going to endear him to fans here in South Africa. With a virtuoso performance punctuated by two goals, Forlán orchestrated a 3-0 win over Bafana Bafana that leaves the hosts' chances of advancing to the second round in serious peril. No host nation in the previous 18 World Cups has suffered first-round elimination. Now South Africa faces that prospect thanks in large part to the 31-year-old forward.

The gulf in class between Uruguay (1-0-1) and the hosts was significant. South Africa (0-1-1) had all the intangibles going for it on Wednesday. Loftus Versfeld stadium was jammed, and the vuvuzelas were earsplitting.

Wednesday was a national holiday -- Youth Day, which commemorates the 1976 student uprising in Soweto that was violently suppressed by police and ended with 23 killed. The sound of nearly 43,000 fans singing the national anthem before the game was both solemn and uplifting, and Bafana Bafana started the game with their country behind them and the second round beckoning.

But Uruguay controlled play through the first 10 minutes and had little trouble finding space to operate in the South African defensive third. Jorge Fucile nearly opened the scoring in the 8th minute. Then Forlán, who tallied 18 goals in La Liga for Atletico Madrid last season and six more in the UEFA Europa League (including both in the 2-1 final win over Fulham), opened Uruguay's account in the 24th minute with a long-range shot that nicked Bafana captain Aaron Mokoena and looped over goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune.

Uruguay's Luis Suárez, who scores regularly for Ajax, nearly doubled the lead on two occasions, hitting the side netting in the 33rd and then barely missing a Forlán cross a few seconds later.

La Celeste was even more dominant in the second half, running through the South African midfield at will. Any Bafana Bafana counters were usually snuffed out by Uruguay's Diego Perez (Monaco), who won just about every tackle and loose ball there was and played a major role in getting his team's attack in gear. South Africa did have a decent scoring chance in the 66th, but Katlego Mphela's header skipped just wide of the post.



South Africa's World Cup imploded 10 minutes later. A Uruguayan flurry led to a Forlán shot that was deflected and slipped behind the South African defense. Suárez alertly ran onto the ball but was cut down by Khune. As the last defender, the Bafana Bafana goalkeeper was shown the red card. A few minutes later, Forlán pounded a perfect penalty kick past the helpless backup.

Fans started streaming for the Loftus Versfeld exits at that point, the optimism of the day crushed by a comprehensive performance from the two-time world champions, who continue to produce an impressive array of talent for a country its size. Forlán and Perez were the most notable on Wednesday, but South Africa coach Carlos Alberto Parreira expressed his admiration for the entire side.

"I don't think only [Forlán]," he said. "I think the whole team as a unit were great. You could see it. They have experience. They can use the ball. They can play."

Parreira also blamed the referee for the result, so take his opinion with a sizable grain of salt. Forlán was brilliant, pulling the strings for a Uruguay attack that looked dangerous even when at a numerical disadvantage.

Bafana Bafana is now in dire straits. France and Mexico play on Thursday in Polokwane, and a win by either leaves the hosts hanging by a thread. Either way, South Africa faces a must-win game against France next Tuesday. "If we don't go to the next round, it's a big disappointment," Parreira said.

This World Cup has been a celebration so far, with horn-blowing fans filing the streets, flag-adorned cars choking the highways and smiles on the faces of just about everybody. That mood will be dampened if South Africa is the first host ever eliminated in the first round (Wednesday's defeat was the heaviest in the first round for a host in World Cup history). It would be a shame, and the people of South Africa will have former Premier League bust Diego Forlán largely to blame.