Uruguay defeats Australia 1-0 WC qualifier

Montevideo:

Dario Rodriguez headed in a goal in the 35th minute, and Uruguay defeated Australia 1-0 Saturday in the first leg of their World Cup playoff. The two-time World Cup champions found few open spaces on the attack, but a free kick by Diego Forlan in the second minute was batted away by Australia goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer. Mark Viduka later booted a 35-meter (yard) shot that Uruguay goalkeeper Fabian Carini managed to knock away with a spectacular save. The ball went bouncing harmlessly into a corner. Forlan, who was Uruguay's top scorer in South American qualifying, had to leave the field in the first half because of a left leg muscle pull that was acting up. He had not been expected to play after injuring himself recently while playing for Villarreal. In the 47th minute, Australia nearly missed when Viduka took a pass from teammate Scott Chipperfield and kicked it wide of the net. In the final minutes, Jason Culina booted a powerful shot for Australia that also skidded wide of the net. Four years ago, Uruguay lost the first leg 1-0 in Melbourne but won on aggregate after a 3-0 victory in Montevideo. The final match of that series was marred by rowdy fan incidents that caused a near international incident as Australian players complained they were harassed and spat upon. Heavy security was in place around the Socceroos this time around and there was no repeat of any fan incidents. (AP)