WORLD CUP: England's dream is hanging
thread after Luis Suarez scored a goal in each
half to earn Uruguay a 2-1 win in Group D in
Sao Paulo.
The fit-again Suarez’s first-half header had
been cancelled out by Wayne Rooney’s first
World Cup goal, only for the PFA Player of the
Year to fire home five minutes from time to
leave England with only a slim chance of
reaching the last 16 following on from
Saturday’s defeat by Italy by the same
scoreline.
Uruguay captain Diego Godin could be
considered fortunate not to have been sent off
inside the opening half-hour before Rooney’s
header struck the angle of post and bar on 31
minutes.
Suarez, who underwent knee surgery four
weeks ago and did not feature in the opening
game defeat by Costa Rica, gave Uruguay the
lead six minutes before half-time when he
headed Edinson Cavani’s cross beyond Joe
Hart.
Cavani wasted a golden chance to increase
Uruguay’s lead early in the second half, and
Rooney was then denied by Fernando Muslera
before the Manchester United striker drew
England level with 15 minutes left.
Daniel Sturridge freed his Liverpool team-
mate Glen Johnson down the right and the
full-back got into the box before rolling across
a low ball which Rooney tapped in at the far
post.
England’s tails were up, but with five minutes
left, Gerrard flicked on a long ball into the path
of his club colleague Suarez, who thumped his
shot beyond Hart.
Roy Hodgson’s side face Costa Rica in their
final game next Tuesday and will need to win
in Belo Horizonte, in addition to hoping Italy
beat the other two teams in the group.
However, if Italy fail to beat Costa Rica on
Friday, then England's exit from the World Cup
will be confirmed before their last group
match.
Despite the opening game defeat by Italy,
Hodgson chose the same team that impressed
in Manaus, albeit with Rooney playing as
number 10 with Danny Welbeck moving to the
left flank and Raheem Sterling wide right.
The big news for Uruguay was that Suarez
was able to start at Arena Corinthians after
undergoing knee surgery last month, replacing
Diego Forlan in one of five changes made by
Oscar Tabarez to the side defeated by Costa
Rica.
This match was played in vastly different
conditions to England's opener against Italy,
with the heat and humidity of the Amazonian
rainforest replaced by a more familiar climate.
England had a scare on five minutes when
Hart was unable to prevent a deflected Suarez
cross from going behind, with the resulting
corner from the Liverpool man set to sneak in
at the near post until the goalkeeper's
scrambling intervention.
Play settled and Godin was left walking a
tightrope after just nine minutes after blocking
a Daniel Sturridge flick with his hand, and
Rooney curled the free-kick over the wall and
inches off target.
Cristian Rodriguez came agonisingly close to
exposing England after 16 minutes, with Phil
Jagielka's hashed clearance falling into the
winger's path and he met it with a fizzing left-
footed strike that just cleared the crossbar.
Sturridge saw an attempt loop over due to a
timely Alvaro Pereira block, but it was
Uruguay who started to edge proceedings.
Hart did well to stop Martin Caceres reaching
a free-kick at the far post and soon after Gary
Cahill slid in to deny Cavani, whose first-time
shot from the resulting corner was not far off.
Godin was fortunate not to receive a second
booking for blocking Sturridge with a flailing
arm as he attempted to reach a through-ball.
Steven Gerrard then floated in a fine ball to the
back post, where Rooney outjumped Caceres
and powered a close-range header off the goal
frame.
Sturridge sent an audacious effort over and
forced Muslera into a save, although the latter
opportunity came once Uruguay had scored a
39th-minute opener.
After the ball ricocheted off Gerrard, it was
spread out wide to Cavani and, allowed too
much space by Johnson, his wonderful
chipped pass to the back post was brilliantly
headed back across goal by Suarez - who
sneaked behind Jagielka.
Neither side made changes for the second
half, which was just four minutes old when
Uruguay first threatened to double their
advantage.
Suarez was again causing the problems,
aiming another corner at the near post and
forcing Hart into a parry which, fortunately for
him, was not straight into the path of an
opponent.
A last-ditch Gerrard block stopped Alvaro
Gonzalez, with only poor finishing from
Uruguay's star men preventing them extending
their lead.
First, a fortunate deflection put Suarez
through only for him to drag wide, then Cavani
ran between the dozy Johnson and Cahill,
somehow screwing wide with just Hart to
beat.
England were riding their luck and almost
capitalised in the 54th minute, as Rooney met
a Leighton Baines cross and sent a low strike
that Muslera denied with a great save.
Pereira required treatment after taking a knee
to the head during a Sterling run - the
winger's last contribution before being
replaced by Ross Barkley.
Adam Lallana followed him onto the field after
Gerrard was booked for a late challenge, with
England becoming increasingly frustrated.
Sturridge hit straight at Muslera as hope
began to seep away, only for England to eke
out the leveller they so desperately craved.
Johnson made great progress down the right
and stretched to send a cross through the legs
of Gonzalez into the path of the unmarked
Rooney, who pounced to stab home inside the
six-yard box.
The normally mild-mannered Hodgson
punched the air in celebration and was almost
doing so again moments later as Sturridge
made room to test Muslera.
Again, though, it is not the attack which has
been England's issue at this tournament.
This time it was captain Gerrard at fault,
accidentally heading towards his own goal
under pressure into the path of Liverpool
team-mate Suarez, who had broken free of the
England backline and rifled home superbly
from an acute angle.
The striker raced off in an emotional
celebration after the goal which England were
unable to find an answer to, with Suarez held
aloft by his team-mates at the final whistle.
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