Uruguay Head For Confed Cup Semis

[Folami David]

Abel Hernandez grabbed four goals as Uruguay's reserves won 8-0 against Tahiti on Sunday, taking the South Americans into a Confederations Cup semifinal with Brazil and sending the Pacific islanders home after a third successive drubbing.
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It took Uruguay less than two minutes to open the scoring in the Group B game in Recife when Hernandez rose unmarked to head home from a Nicolas Lodeiro corner.
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Hernandez sprinted away from a static defence and volleyed past goalkeeper Gilbert Meriel on 24 minutes to add a second and Diego Perez got a third three minutes later when he was left with an open goal after his own header beat the keeper and came back off the post.
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Hernandez netted his third and Uruguay's fourth on the stroke of halftime after he beat the offside trap and slotted home from an angle.
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Uruguay increased their advantage in the 61st minute when Lodeiro turned Walter Gargano's cross into the net from close range. Hernandez grabbed Uruguay's sixth from a penalty after 67 minutes and substitute Luis Suarez completed the rout with a seventh and eighth in the 81st and 89th minutes.
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Amateurs Tahiti, champions of Oceania, have been outclassed in the tournament, conceding 24 goals in their three games against Uruguay, Nigeria and world champions Spain.
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They used their third goalkeeper on Sunday but although Meriel did not disgrace himself, they never looked like avoiding defeat even against Uruguay's second string side.
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The keeper even wrote himself into the tiny island's history books when he saved a penalty from Andres Scotti in the 50th minute.