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Hostile environment Socceroos won't be intimidated in Montevideo, says Farina
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -- The Socceroos are expecting a hostile reception in Montevideo after taking a 1-0 win over Uruguay in the first leg of the last World Cup qualifying series, Australia's coach Frank Farina said Wednesday. Speaking before the Australians departed for South America following Tuesday night's home win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Farina said reports of riots in the Uruguayan capital coinciding with the match wouldn't unsettle his squad. Riots broke out in Montevideo before the telecast of the match started, with cars burned, dozens of people injured and 74 arrested, according to media reports. Farina said with 65,000 spectators expected to cram into Estadio Centenario for the return match, the atmosphere would be daunting, but that was to be expected with the 32nd and last berth at the Korea-Japan 2002 World Cup on the line. Uruguay has won two World Cups, in 1930 and 1950, but has not reached the finals since Italy in 1990. Australia has made one appearance at the World Cup, finishing with a 0-1-2 record in 1974. Farina said he'd watched a match in Montevideo and was warning his players about what to expect. "Believe me, it's a very hostile environment," he said. "They're passionate about football. Hopefully, we'll be very resilient and we'll pull through." Australia advanced to the playoff by winning the Oceania Confederation's qualifying tournament. Uruguay made the last-chance qualifier by placing fifth in South American qualifying. Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil and Paraguay qualified by finishing in the top four places in South American qualifying. While 30,000 people converged on Montevideo's downtown to watch the match on TV, more than 2.8 million Australians watched the live broadcast at home on TV. Australia's Channel 7 network said an average of 2.2 million Australians watched the World Cup qualifier over the 2 1/2 hours of coverage. The audience peaked at 2.825 million, including 1 million in Sydney. Australian Prime Minister John Howard was one of the 84,656 fans who watched the match live at the MCG. "It was a tremendous shot in the arm for Australian soccer," Howard said. "It will mean a lot for Australian soccer if we can qualify," for the World Cup finals. The Uruguayan team left Melbourne earlier Wednesday on a jet reportedly provided by the Uruguayan government. The government reportedly stepped in due to expected delays getting the team back on commercial flights.
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