Amman: Uruguay looks almost certain to qualify for the 2014 World Cup after crushing Jordan 5-0 in Ammi'an on Wednesday in the first leg of their intercontinental playoff.
Goals from Maxi Pereira, Cristian Stuani, Nicolas Lodeiro, Cristian Rodriguez and Edinson Cavani have put Uruguay firmly in control ahead of the second leg in Montevideo next week.
Luis Suarez set up Pereira's 22nd minute opener, and Stuani made it 2-0 just before halftime.
Jordan had long spells of possession in the second half but was vulnerable on the counter-attack. Lodeiro slotted in from the edge of the box in the 69th minute and an unmarked Rodriguez hit a crisp volley from close range in the 78th.
Cavani steered a free kick into the top right corner of the net in stoppage time as victory turned into a rout.
"This result will put us in a good position for the second leg," Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said. "We will play with the same formation to honor the Uruguayan fans who will fill the stadium next Wednesday, as I heard that 60,000 tickets were sold."
Jordan's Egyptian coach Hossam Hassan said he was "fully responsible for this result" and "satisfied with the performance of my players."
"I wished the Jordanian fans had seen their team win, but this is what happened," Hassan added. He said the squad would leave for Uruguay on Thursday.
Pereira pounced to open the scoring after a header by Cavani was parried by Jordan goalkeeper Mohammad Shatnawi and Stuani made it 2-0 after collecting a pass from Lodeiro.
Jordan showed more determination in the second half, with its best chance falling to Adnan Hasan, whose effort flew past the post.
But Jordan's defense proved helpless as Lodeiro increased Uruguay's lead, Rodriguez fired in the fourth and Cavani completed the rout with a free kick that left Shatnawi rooted to the spot.
Jordan's King Abdullah II and members of his royal family were among the 25,000 spectators at the Amman International Stadium.
Their national team has never reached the World Cup and struggled on Wednesday to compete against Uruguay, a semifinalist at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa that finished fifth in South American qualifying.
The defeat followed extensive preparations in Jordan for the game. The king donated $500,000 toward the cost of the team's preparations, while Jordan Television held a one-day telethon that raised $2.8 million.
The fever also spread to the UAE where Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Princess Haya offered a private plane to fly the Jordan team to Uruguay for the second leg.
Security was tightened for the match in Amman, where traffic was diverted away from the stadium, causing suffocating jams. Cars honking horns, despite the heavy defeat, were draped with the Jordanian flag and portraits of their players.
Mexico beats New Zealand 5-1 in first-leg playoff
Mexico beats New Zealand 5-1 in first-leg playoff
Mexico City: Mexico swept to a 5-1 victory over New Zealand in the first leg of their intercontinental playoff on Wednesday to become the overwhelming favorite for a place at next year's World Cup finals.
Paul Aguilar put Mexico ahead in the 32nd minute and Raul Jimenez made 2-0 before the break. Oribe Peralta added two more in the second half before Rafael Marquez scored in the 84th and Chris James grabbed a consolation goal for New Zealand a minute later.
Mexico, which was lucky to reach the playoff, now just needs to finish the job in the second leg next Wednesday in Wellington, New Zealand.
"We're going to go there like the score is 0-0, like we need a winning goal," Mexico coach Miguel Herrera said.
Mexico scored only seven goals in 10 qualifying games, but broke through under new coach Herrera. Herrera, the fourth Mexico coach in two months, used only players based in the national league, omitting stars like Javier Hernandez of Manchester United.
That focus on domestic league players was partly to deal with Mexico City's altitude of 2,240 meters (7,350 feet), which seemed to fatigue New Zealand.
Herrera, who also coaches Mexican club America, was hired for only the two playoff matches, declined to speculate about his future.
"I am the coach for two games, and I won an important one," Herrera said. "Afterward they (Mexican football federation) will decide and we hope they make the right decision. One could put together a sensational team."
Mexico finished behind the United States, Costa Rica and Honduras in CONCACAF qualifying, with those three advancing automatically to Brazil. Mexico only secured fourth place after the United States scored two late goals last month to defeat Panama - which was winning at the time and would have reached the playoff.
Aguilar broke the deadlock by chipping in from 10 meters (yards) after keeper Glen Moss was caught off his line and Jimenez found the net eight minutes later with a close-range header after threatening to score several times.
Only Moss, who made several acrobatic saves, kept Mexico from scoring more in the first half at Azteca stadium.
Moss punched away a shot from Jimenez in the 18th, which nearly crossed the line. In the 24th, Francisco Rodriguez hit the crossbar, and in the 27th Moss stopped Jimenez's shot from point-blank range.
Peralta put the match beyond New Zealand's reach just three minutes after the re-start, collecting a cross from the left and slotting home from six meters (yards), and then scored his second with an 80th-minute header. Marquez then nodded home Mexico's fifth, before James scored with a volley off the post.
It was the second one-sided victory of the day. Earlier, Uruguay hammered Jordan 5-0 away in another intercontinental playoff for next year's World Cup in Brazil.
