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Uruguay face uphill task in Copa final

Defending champions Brazil meet outsiders Uruguay tomorrow in what threatens to be an anti-climatic final of a Copa America which, until the quarter-finals, had been packed with drama.

Uruguay, fielding what is almost a youth team, have reached the final with a record of one win, two draws, two defeats and a paltry four goals scored in their five matches.

They qualified from the first round as one of the best third-placed teams and won their quarter-final and semi-final ties on penalties after 1-1 draws.

Brazil, in their third successive Copa America final, have won all their games but have been anything but inspiring, their players appearing restricted by the tactics of coach Wanderley Luxemburgo.

Their game has been based on packing their midfield, soaking up pressure and hitting their opponents with the individual brilliance of Ronaldo, Amoroso and Rivaldo.

The absence of the host nation means that organisers will have difficulty filling the Defenders of the Chaco Stadium. Local interest in the tournament has died since Paraguay were knocked out on penalties by Uruguay in the quarter-finals. Asuncion is devoid of the atmosphere and excitement which accompanied the tournament while they were still in.

Paraguay, like Peru and Colombia, have been victims of an unjust format that fails to reward teams for winning games early in the competition.

As eight of the 12 teams progressed from the first round, a single victory in three first round matches proved enough for a quarter-final place.

Paraguay were knocked out without losing a match, winning two and drawing two, Colombia won three matches, lost one and conceded only one goal, while Peru also fell despite scoring seven goals and losing only one of four games played. All three went out in the quarter-finals.

The four quarter-finals produced an aggregate 16 goals and the first round also had its share of excitement, notably the five-penalty match in which Colombia beat Argentina 3-0 and Argentina's Martin Palermo missed three penalties.

In contrast, the two semi-finals this week were dreary affairs.

Brazil's Amoroso and Ronaldo both go into the final on four goals each as joint top scorers, though Ronaldo suffered the rare indignity of being substituted in the 2-0 win over Mexico on Wednesday after a below-par performance.

''I'm not upset,'' he insisted on Thursday.

Uruguay's top player has been goalkeeper Fabian Carini, who at the age of 20 appears to have a great future.

Midfielder Pablo Garcia is suspended but the real absentees are European-based players such as Gustavo Poyet, Alvaro Recoba and Paolo Montero rested after a long season with their clubs.

Argentine coach Daniel Passarella has also given Paraguay a miss, handing over the reins instead to under-20 team coach Victor Pua.

If Uruguay win the title, the Uruguayan public, already suspicious of having an Argentine in charge of their national team, will be wondering if Pua does not deserve the job on a permanent basis.

UNI