Uruguay still reeling from World Cup loss to Australia

SYDNEY, May 31 (Reuters) Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez said his team were determined to exact revenge on Australia this weekend for their World Cup playoff loss in 2005.

The Socceroos beat the South Americans on penalties to reach the World Cup finals for the first time in 32 years, triggering wild celebrations in Australia and despair in Uruguay.

Australia went on to reach the second round of the World Cup, where they were controversially beaten by eventual champions Italy, but Tabarez said the South Americans were still licking their wounds.

''Certainly it was one of the lowest points in Uruguayan football history,'' Tabarez told SBS Web site (theworldgame.com.au.).

''It was like Italy losing to North Korea in 1966. Perhaps not to that extent, but it was a humiliating experience.

''It was not the first time that Uruguay had failed to qualify for a World Cup but defeat at the hands of Australia came as a massive shock to us, even though we only lost on penalties.'' Uruguay are strong favourites to win Saturday's friendly at the Olympic stadium in Sydney after naming a full-strength side.

The Australians will be without most of their European-based players who are taking a short break ahead of the Asian Cup but defender Lucas Neill said his team would not be overawed.

''These (new) guys are by no means mugs. These guys you haven't heard as much about as the others, but we can't live in the past,'' Neill told reporters today.

REUTERS BJR VV1427