Uruguay 1 - 1 Costa Rica

First winners hold on

Updated: November 18, 2009, 8:00 AM UK

Uruguay struggled to tame Costa Rica before booking their place in the World Cup finals with a 1-1 draw at home in the second leg of their South America/CONCACAF play-off on Wednesday.

The Uruguayans went through 2-1 on aggregate after winning the first leg in San Jose on Saturday, returning to the finals in South Africa next year after missing the 2006 tournament in Germany.

Substitute striker Sebastian Abreu headed home with 20 minutes to go to put Uruguay ahead, sparking huge celebrations by the home team, their bench and the packed Centenario terraces.

But just three minutes later midfielder Walter Centeno, the Costa Rica captain, restored the Central Americans' hopes of an upset when he stunned Uruguay with an equaliser.

The match was held up for nearly five minutes near the end because of fighting between a Uruguay camera crew near the touchline and the Costa Rica bench amid a nervous denouement.

At the final whistle, the celebrations broke out again as the Uruguayans, who won the second of their world titles in 1950, released their emotions at the relief of having qualified.

Uruguay failed to impose their authority on the game despite the lion's share of possession and suffered several scares.

Luis Marin stood out in the Costa Rica defence as Uruguay squandered a string of free kicks by playmaker Nicolas Lodeiro into the box and other chances from untidy attacks after two near misses early on.

In the fifth minute, Costa Rica keeper Keilor Navas dived to his left to turn away a shot by Diego Forlan from outside the box and a minute later a header from midfielder Sebastian Eguren went straight to him.

Just past the half hour Lodeiro played Luis Suarez in on the right but the striker shot first time over the bar.

Christian Bolanos, the Ticos' most effective midfielder, gave Uruguay a scare nine minutes before the interval with a shot from the edge of the box that Fernando Muslera stretched to turn over for a corner.

Six minutes into the second half, a Lodeiro cross from the left found Eguren who rose above the defence but directed his header just wide.

Just before the hour, Forlan placed a good shot on target low to the right of Navas but the keeper dived and managed to turn it away at the foot of the post.

The tall Abreu's introduction in place of Suarez did the trick by unlocking the Costa Rica defence and giving Uruguay the cushion of a second goal in the two-legged tie when he rose to head defender Andres Scotti's high cross over Navas into the net.

Uruguay's nerves were rattled again, though, when Centeno shot home from close to the penalty spot after a poor clearance by the defence.