Tabarez promises hard fight

Tabarez promises hard fight


Oscar Tabarez insists Uruguay will be taking their match for third place against Germany very seriously. The La Celeste boss is adamant there will be no hang-over from their semi-final loss to the Netherlands.

"This is a very difficult game," he said. "Yes, fourth position is not the same as others, but we will go in with the same commitment and enthusiasm like we did in the encounter against Holland. We have no assurance that we will win, but we will prepare ourselves to fight to the death."

The South Americans, who shocked many by reaching the last four in South Africa, were finally beaten on Tuesday when they went down to a spirited 3-2 loss to the Dutch. It has been a memorable competition for the two-time champions, having last reached the semi-finals 40 years ago.

Tabarez also expected Germany to come out fighting in the game in Port Elizabeth. He continued: "At the moment, Germany and Uruguay have both secured fourth place by reaching the semi-final. But the challenge for Uruguay is to finish third in the World Cup. I know Germany and they will make it very difficult for us, so we must fight hard to win."

Tabarez also tipped Spain to win Sunday's Final in Johannesburg. He added: "For this kind of game, I think the defence will be a key element. And I think Spain is a little better than Holland in this area and they are also very good with possession overall.

"They keep the ball very well. It's a prototype of the Barcelona team - the movement, the style - but this is not to say that Spain does not have its own personality. They play a really special brand of football and I think they can win."