Uruguay forward Diego Forlan during the Confederations Cup match against Nigeria in Salvador on June 20, 2013. By Daniel Garcia (AFP)
SALVADOR, Brazil (AFP) - Diego Forlan marked his 100th international appearance with a magnificent winning goal as Uruguay closed on the Confederations Cup semi-finals by beating chief Group B rivals Nigeria 2-1 in Salvador.The 34-year-old completed a sweeping move in the 51st minute on Thursday to score his 34th international goal, enabling him to reclaim the national scoring record from teammate Luis Suarez, who had equalled it in the 2-1 loss to Spain.Captain Diego Lugano bundled Uruguay ahead in the 19th minute, only for Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi to equalise for Nigeria with a skilfully taken goal eight minutes before half-time.Victory means group leaders Spain, who thrashed minnows Tahiti 10-0 earlier in the day, must wait to confirm their place in the semi-finals.Nigeria and Uruguay will go into Sunday's final group fixtures level on three points, but while Oscar Tabarez's Uruguay are practically assured of victory over Tahiti, Stephen Keshi's Nigeria are obliged to tackle the mighty Spain."We're very satisfied. Ever since the draw, we knew this match was the most important match to play and we've made a huge step towards the semi-finals," said Uruguay coach Tabarez."We've not reached the semi-finals yet, but I think we're on the way."Nigeria coach Keshi blamed the result on a lack of concentration that left Forlan unmarked for the decisive goal."I think my players played well and played to instructions," he said...
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