Uruguay and South Korea will get the World Cup knockout stages underway Saturday in a match where both sides will be determined to make their mark after decades of mediocrity in the tournament. No one is tipping Group A winner Uruguay or Group B runner-up South Korea to get anywhere near the final but their early form has come as a surprise to many teams who could easily have seen them as first-round fodder. A place in the quarterfinals would mark a stunning turnaround in the World Cup fortunes for either side. While the likes of World Cup winners Brazil, Germany, Argentina and Italy remain a force in the global game, twice champions Uruguay is a shadow of its former self having not reached the last eight since 1970 when it was semifinalist. Like Uruguay, which is appearing in its 11th finals, South Korea is World Cup regular but has only advanced from the group phase once, as host in 2002 when it made the semis. The modest Koreans normally play down their chances and speak only about the next game but coach Huh Jung-moo said they were in a hungry mood and looking beyond the second round. “I know my players will not be satisfied with just reaching the round of 16 and we will work harder to reach the semifinals,” said Huh. “My players will be shooting for higher targets now.” South Korea's performances have matched its bullish rhetoric, with passing flair, confident breaks and lung-busting fitness, but six goals conceded in its last two matches are glaring reminders of its fragility at the back. In contrast, Uruguay has yet to concede a goal and has to be the favorite to win in Port Elizabeth Saturday after its two wins and a draw earned it top sot in the group for the first time since the 1950 World Cup which it won. Uruguay is expected to stick by a winning formation in which influential striker Diego Forlan has played behind forwards Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, a fearsome combination to throw at a so far shaky South Korean defense. Midfielder Diego Perez said its focus would be to maintain its insatiable appetite for attack but tighten its defense against a dangerous and free-flowing Korean side once again carrying the hopes of the world's most populous continent. “We are clear that we cannot give away any advantage at all. We know our limits. We know we are strong in defence and we have a good attack,” Perez told Reuters. “It has been long time since things have gone this way. We know we are on a good road,” he added. “We must enjoy it.”
