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Published: Thursday October 15, 2009 MYT 8:34:00 AM
Updated: Thursday October 15, 2009 MYT 10:30:59 AM

Argentina in World Cup with 1-0 win over Uruguay

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (AP) - Argentina ended an embarrassing campaign by qualifying for the World Cup with a 1-0 win over Uruguay on Wednesday.

Argentina might have missed its first World Cup since 1970 if it had lost at packed Centenario Stadium.

But moments after Uruguay defender Martin Caceres was ejected for his second yellow card, substitute Mario Bolatti scored amid a goalmouth scramble in the 84th minute to send a relieved Argentina to the finals in South Africa next year.

Argentina claimed the fourth and final automatic berth in South America, while Uruguay finished fifth and earned another chance to qualify through the playoffs next month.

Uruguay will meet the No. 4 team from CONCACAF, Costa Rica.

Diego Maradona, an icon as a player but under enormous pressure as a coach, should have been relieved by the victory. Many questioned how a team with many of the world's top players labored so hard to qualify.

Maradona cast doubt on whether he would go to South Africa.

"First I have to speak with Grondona," Maradona said, referring to Argentine Football Associated president Julio Grondona.

Maradona switched between contentment and anger after the game, lashing out at his critics in a tirade laced with profanities.

"Thanks to my players, today I was consecrated as a coach," he said defiantly. "We are in the World Cup with full honors."

He credited the win to all the support he received from the fans, but said some Argentine media treated him "like garbage." The Argentines danced on the field after their win, but were unhappy at finishing fourth.

"There's nothing to celebrate. From Grondona on down, it's all bad," Juan Sebastian Veron said. "There's no reason to sweep things under the carpet. We've got to huddle and do a lot of talking."

Maradona shrugged it off, and praised Veron as a "symbol of my team." In a match full of fouls called by referee Carlos Amarilla of Paraguay, Caceres' last turned out to be pivotal.

Caceres tripped up Veron during a clean break just outside the box, and before he even received the yellow and red cards, Caceres covered his head with his jersey in shame and frustration as he was sent off.

From the free kick, Lionel Messi and Veron smoothly set up Bolatti, just four minutes after he'd been sent in by Maradona, to shoot low past Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.

Bolatti, at least, was thrilled. "It's a dream fulfilled," he said.

Brazil, Chile and Paraguay had earlier clinched the first three automatic berths, leaving Maradona's much-criticized team to secure its berth in Montevideo, where Argentina had never won a qualifier in three previous attempts.

Argentina wound up fourth with 28 points, and Uruguay finished with 24, and Ecuador 23 after losing to Chile 1-0.

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