South American champions Uruguay defeated Nigeria 2 - 1 on Thursday evening to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for the semi - finals of the Confederations Cup. <br /><br />Desperate to win, manager Oscar Washington Tabarez started with a three man attack - Diego Forlan (<span class="st">Internacional)</span>, Edinson Cavani (Napoli) and Luis Suarez(Liverpool).<br /><br />But it was defender Diego Lugano, of all people, that opened scoring for Uruguay in the 19th minute, capitalizing on a mistake by the Nigeria back line, who failed to clear Diego Forlan's cross.<br /><br />After the Super Eagles conceded, Uruguay lost steam in attack and the game turned in favor of the African champions. <br /><br />And they were rewarded with a beautiful goal by Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel in the 37th minute.<br /><br />Experienced striker Diego Forlan celebrated his 100th cap by netting his 34th goal for the National Team. <br /><br />His match winning strike arrived after 51 minutes, a shot from an angle which tricked Vincent Enyeama.<br /><br />Nigeria must defeat Spain by a wide margin on Sunday in Fortaleza or they will be knocked out of the Confederations Cup.<br /><br /><br />