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Estoyanoff gives Uruguay victory
![]() Estoyanoff was usually a late-game sub under departed coach Fosatti. EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey -- Fabian Estoyanoff's 35 meter shot in the 33rd minute gave Uruguay a 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland 1-0 in a friendly international in East Rutherford. It also provided Oscar Tabarez with a winning debut since his reappointment as coach in March. Tabarez,who was in charge of Uruguay in the 1990 World Cup, replaced interim manager Gustavo Ferrin, who took over from Jorge Fosatti after Uruguay lost a two-leg World Cup playoff with Australia. Northern Ireland, who were without 11 regulars, because injuries and club commitments, fielded what some described as a "C" side. Uruguay utilized a starting team comprised of almost entirely foreign-based players, because their domestic Clausura championship is still being contested. Estoyanoff, mostly a late-game substitute under Fosatti, provided the lone serious offensive opportunity for either side in the first half, driving a shot inside the near post into the top corner. Northern Ireland, with two players making their international debut -- Stephen Craigan and Jeff Hughes -- and goalkeeper Michael Ingham making his first start, was more active but created little that appeared dangerous. Uruguay, who trained together for less than a week and included some players who only arrived on Saturday, created more chances in the second half, requiring Ingham to come off his line to thwart Andres Scotti twice in quick succession in the 56th minute. Intermittent rainThe match, played in intermittent rain before an overwhelming Uruguayan partisan crowd of 4,152, was the first of two friendlies in the United States for both teams. Uruguay will fly to Los Angeles to play Romania on Tuesday, while Northern Ireland travel to Chicago to face the same Romanian team on Friday. Uruguay will then move on to Europe to play World Cup-bound Serbia-Montenegro in Belgrade on May 27 and then compete in a four-team friendly tournament in Tunisia. Giggs hits winnerRyan Giggs scored a 76th-minute goal to give Wales a 1-0 win over the Basque Country in Bilbao. The Wales captain scored with a low shot from a pass from striker Craig Bellamy as the Basque Country suffered only their second defeat in 14 matches. The match at Athletic Bilbao's San Mames stadium marked a return to the area for Wales coach John Toshack, who had three spells in charge of Real Sociedad, another of the Basque Country's leading clubs. Like several other Spanish regions, including Catalonia, the Basque Country play occasional home friendlies against international teams although they cannot enter any competitions. Wales play another friendly against World Cup qualifier Trinidad and Tobago in Graz, Austria, next Saturday.
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