Liverpool striker Luis Suarez will have the bragging rights when he returns for club duty as his double strike brought England on the brink of a humiliating World Cup exit.
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez will have the bragging rights when he returns for club duty as his double strike brought England on the brink of a humiliating World Cup exit as Uruguay won 2-1 in a tight Group D match on Thursday. Suarez who was back in action just four weeks after knee surgery, put Uruguay ahead with a 39th-minute header before England’s player of the night, Wayne Rooney equalised with his first ever World Cup finals goal.
But before England could come back in the game, it was again Suarez who had the final say when he latched on to a long ball and smashed home the winner five minutes from time, leaving the Three Lions staring at their first group stage exit. All that England could hope now is that Italy beat Costa Rica which could keep them in the competition mathematically.
England started with nerves but their pace driven forwards were soon causing problems and when Daniel Sturridge drew a foul for handball near the penalty area, Rooney’s free-kick almost drew them into the game.
England, with Rooney playing centrally behind Sturridge, looked the stronger but they suffered a scare when defender Phil Jagielka lost the ball in defence and Cristian Rodriguez couldn’t keep his rising shot on target. Even as England were missing chances at the other end, Uruguay made them pay a heavy price when Nicolas Lodeiro passed left to striker Edison Cavani who chipped a ball across to Suarez as the latter looped a header and into the English goal.
After the interval England coach Roy Hodgson threw on Ross Barkley and Adam Lallana for Sterling and Danny Welbeck but it was Glen Johnson who created England’s breakthrough when his perfectly rolled cross met striker Rooney and the Manchester United striker had the simplest of tap-ins as he finally scored his debut goal at a World Cup finals.
Even though the English came tantalisingly close, it was Suarez who had the last laugh.
