Confederations Cup: Uruguay head for semis after thrashing Tahiti

Abel Hernandez grabbed four goals as Uruguay's reserves won 8-0 against Tahiti on Sunday, taking the South Americans into a Confederations Cup semi-final with Brazil and sending the Pacific islanders home after a third successive drubbing. 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.

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. 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.

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.

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. 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.

The keeper even wrote himself into the tiny island's history books when he saved a penalty from Andres Scotti in the 50th minute. Scotti's misery was complete a minute later when he got a second yellow card for tripping Steevy Chong Hue but before Tahiti could take advantage Teheivarii Ludivion followed him for an early bath after receiving his second caution on the hour mark. Hernandez's goal in 79 seconds was the fastest ever at the Confederations Cup and although Tahiti composed themselves and managed to frustrate their more illustrious opponents they never looked like stopping the rout.

The official attendance was not revealed but the vast open spaces in the stands of the Arena Pernambuco suggested this was easily the lowest turn-out of the World Cup warm-up tournament so far. The game clashed with an important local festival in Recife and other cities on Brazil's north east. Uruguay went through as group runners-up and will face hosts Brazil in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday while group winners Spain, who beat Nigeria 3-0 to eliminate the Africans, play Italy in their semi on Thursday in Fortaleza.