Uruguay became the final team to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup with their 2-1 aggregate win over Costa Rica on Wednesday night. The second leg finished 1-1 and had players and fans at the Estadio Centenario in Montevideo celebrating.

“This has been a very tough tie and this match underlined that,” coach Oscar Tabarez told FIFA.com.  “Costa Rica played really well and were one goal short of qualifying. Fortunately it was us who made it through. Anyway, what matters is that we achieved the objective we’d set at the start of the campaign. Now we’ll have time to work on what needs improving. How you do it doesn’t matter, what counts is that we’re among the 32 teams going to the World Cup.”

After winning the first leg, 1-0, Uruguay added to their advantage when substitute Sebastian Abreu put the home side up 1-0 in the 70th minute.  Despite controlling most of the game, they had to fight down the stretch after the Ticos Walter Centeno leveled the match 4 minutes later.

Abreu and Diego Forlan are the only two remaining players for La Celeste that played in  their last World Cup in 2002.  Uruguay missed the 2006 FIFA World Cup but has a long history winning the inaugural even in 1930 and again in 1950.

“The mentality of Uruguayan football goes all the way back to the golden era when we were the first American, Olympic and world champions,” Abreu said.  “I don’t know if we can match the feats of those phenomenal players, but we’re certainly capable of giving our fans something to cheer about.”