The score was 0-0 at half-time. SA made the breakthrough in the 37th minute from a well-worked penalty corner (PC) variation that saw Celia Evans apply the finishing touch .But Uruguay equalised in the 58th, just two minutes from full-time, when Manuela Vilar del Valle made the most of what had been a disputed PC award.
For the world’s 29th-ranked Uruguayans the 1-1 draw was a moral victory against a team ranked 18 places above. In a worst-case scenario, an SA defeat by more than a five-goal margin in Tuesday’s 5pm (SuperSport 7) final Pool B clash with Germany would end their quarter-final hopes and favour Uruguay.
The Uruguayans threw everything into this their last opportunity to reach the quarter-finals, knowing that with their inferior goal difference of five compared to South Africa, nothing less than victory would suffice. A draw for SA would probably be enough to ensure a quarter-final berth on Thursday, provided they don’t self-destruct against in in-form Germans Tuesday.
SA dominated Uruguay, but struggled to turn that advantage into goal shots while the Uruguayans made more from a lesser number of chances.
