Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez, who has sensationally taken his side to the last four at the World Cup, said Monday he felt as if he had gate-crashed a party, dpa reported.
"We are at a party and a celebration to which we were not invited. But we certainly have earned the right to be here and now we will enjoy it," he said on the eve of Uruguay's semi-final encounter with the Netherlands in Cape Town's Green Point Stadium.
The 63-year-old also coached the South American country at the 1990 World cup finals, when he took them to the round of the last 16, where they were knocked out by hosts Italy.
He said that if the semi-final were based only on what the countries had achieved, Uruguay would be in trouble.
"If we look at what the teams have done in the last few years, then we would not even need to play against the Netherlands.
"But the champion is the team that gets to the final and wins and the scoreboard has not yet been written. We will certainly not throw in the towel in advance.
"We are analysing our opponent and hope to capitalise on their weakness and we will do anything it takes to win."
Uruguay, who only qualified for the finals via a play-off against Costa Rica, was considered the weakest of the South American teams before the tournament, but Tabarez said that did not worry him.
"We don't feel that we were underestimated. Predictions are made on precedent. So what we have achieved is a surprise to many.
He said he admired Dutch football and was impressed by the way they played at these finals.
"The great Dutch coach Rinus Michels told me that Dutch people only feel football if they attack.
"This side is very attack-minded, but they are also very good in defence this time around and they are obviously rising to the challenge of modern football."
Tabarez, who will be without striker Luis Suarez, who was red- carded against Ghana in the quarter-finals, and defender Jorge Fucile, who is out after picking up two yellow cards, said he would not discuss his line-up.
"I am not prepared to say anything about this, as some of the journalists are acting as if they are war correspondents and we will not help them," he said without elaborating.
He got angry when asked if he felt slightly embarrassed that Uruguay was in the final after Suarez used his hand to stop a Ghana goal in the dying moments of extra time.
"It was an instinctive act and should be seen as such."
He also dismissed suggestions that Uruguay were becoming a major footballing power.
"That does not depend on single results. We have a very long way to go.
"The gap between the first world and the third world is widening and this leads to footballers leaving to go overseas. It is almost utopian to think of Uruguay a footballing power. We should not believe the world has changed because we have won some matches."