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Tabarez amused by Parreira

Johannesburg - Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez found Carlos Alberto Parreira's criticism of the match officials laughable after Uruguay's 3-0 victory over South Africa.

South Africa's manager blasted referee Massimo Busacca following his side's defeat in Pretoria, which leaves the Soccer World Cup hosts in danger of elimination at the group stages.

Atletico Madrid striker Diego Forlan was the architect of Bafana Bafana's downfall as he opened the scoring in the first half before converting a late penalty prior to playing a role in the build-up to Alvaro Pereira's injury-time header.

Parreira was unimpressed with the award of the spot-kick and Busacca's decision to dismiss goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune for bringing down striker Luis Suarez, but Tabarez did not agree.

He said: "In an earlier press conference I said I never talk about the referees, I talk about the circumstances of the game.

"I think there were other instances of penalties that the referee didn't notice, but these are circumstances of the game.

"I certainly can't agree and I even laugh at the suggestion that Uruguay maybe won this game thanks to the referee, because I think we dominated the game throughout.

"But I didn't come to the press conference for that, I'm not here to talk about the referee or discuss my colleague's opinions, but in my view Uruguay won the game deservedly."

Forlan wanted to deflect attention away from his superb individual display against South Africa in order to credit Uruguay's team performance.

The South Americans are within touching distance of the knockout stages after a comprehensive victory ahead of their final game in Group A against Mexico next Tuesday.

He said: "Obviously, as a forward I like to score goals, but the important thing is to win,"

"The team is good. We also played well against France. We're very solid."
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