The party rages on in Uruguay's capital, where a sea of fans decked in the sky-blue team colours celebrate as the national team receives honours from the president and gratitude from a country that hadn't reached a World Cup semifinal in 40 years.

Uruguay's fourth-place finish was good enough for many thousands to come out in the bitter cold Tuesday and share the joy with players like Diego Forlan, the Uruguay striker who was awarded the Golden Ball as the World Cup's best player.

President Jose Mujica praised the players for bringing the whole country together, saying Uruguay has never been so socially and politically unified. He told the team, "You have given us a lesson in courage and given us the hope to dream."

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