MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay - Uruguay held Costa Rica to a 1-1 draw Wednesday night, claiming the last berth in the 32-team World Cup field and denying the Ticos a third straight trip to the quadrennial championship.

Uruguay enjoyed the majority of possession and chances and advanced with a 2-1 aggregate victory in the two-leg playoff.

Sebastian Abreu put Uruguay ahead with his 28th career international goal in the 70th, but Walter Centeno restored the Ticos' hopes only four minutes later.

Costa Rica, which led the United States by two goals with 18 minutes remaining on October 14 in a match where a victory would have earned it a fourth appearance at the World Cup, was 30 seconds from a berth but surrendered a goal 4½ minutes into injury time to settle for a 2-2 draw.

The result finished Costa Rica behind the United States, Mexico and Honduras in the final round of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

Wednesday's result extended Costa Rica's winless streak against Uruguay to eight with only its second draw.

Uruguay dominated with Nacional midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro, whose two goals helped his country into the second round at last month's Under-20 World Cup in Egypt.

Lodeiro started in the fourth minute, bending a free kick from 35 yards that bounced just wide of the post, and twice more driving down the middle of the field setting up chances for Luis Suarez in the 34th and one of his own a minute later.

Uruguay's best chance before Abreu's goal came in a blast from distance by Diego Forlan that had to be tipped over the bar by Costa Rican keeper Keilor Navas in the seventh minute. Cristian Bolanos had a similar chance for Costa Rica in the 36th that forced goalkeeper Fernando Muslera to dive to his right to push it around the post.

Abreu, who replaced Suarez only five minutes earlier, put Uruguay ahead by out-leaping his marker at the edge of the six-yard box and driving Andres Scotti's cross past Navas. Centeno finished his chance from just inside the area in the 74th to quiet the crowd at Estadio Centenario.

Alvaro Saborio had a chance in the 87th to give Costa Rica the lead, but his left-footer from inside the area struck the near-side netting.

Uruguay, which lost in a World Cup qualifying playoff four years ago to Australia, will be making its first appearance in the championship since 2002.