No.10 vs No.10

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After the drama and tension of their penalty shoot-out victory over Ghana in the quarter-finals, Uruguay are in the last four at the FIFA World Cup for the first time in 40 years. La Celeste fell 3-1 to eventual winners Brazil at Mexico 1970, and went on to finish fourth. Holland, who staged a remarkable second-half comeback to defeat five-time winners Brazil in the last eight, previously fought through to the semis in 1974, 1978 and 1998.

The teams’ solitary previous meeting at the FIFA World Cup came in the 1974 tournament. Johnny Rep fired a brace as the celebrated Dutch ensemble spearheaded by the great Johan Cruyff won the group stage encounter 2-0. The Uruguay squad that day included defender Pablo Forlan, father of current La Celeste marksman Diego Forlan.

Ahead of Tuesday’s clash, Uruguay boss Oscar Tabarez and Netherlands supremo Bert van Marwijk are both mulling over enforced changes to their winning teams. For the South Americans, Jorge Fucile and Luis Suarez are suspended, and captain Diego Lugano is rated very doubtful with bruising and a stretched knee ligament. Young Nicolas Lodeiro will play no further part in South Africa after breaking a foot. For the Dutch, Van Marwijk is without suspended pair Gregory van der Wiel and Nigel de Jong.

Players to watch

Diego Forlan (Uruguay No.10)

Wesley Sneijder (Holland No.10)

Our two players to watch may not cross paths that often on the field of play, but the spotlight still falls on the respective teams’ leading scorers. Forlan shares top spot in the Celeste goalscoring list with Suarez, but the latter can only watch from the stands after his red card against Ghana. The task of piercing the Dutch defence thus falls fairly and squarely to Forlan, now up to 27 goals for his country, and whose three strikes at the current tournament have all come against African sides.

His Holland counterpart Sneijder also has four goals, and rates as an equally creative orchestrator of the Oranjes’ versatile forward line. The world already knew all about Sneijder’s flawless technique and visionary passing, but his lethal finishing has taken many people by surprise.