Fifa World Cup 2014: Lethal Suarez sinks England

Uruguay's lethal striker Luis Suarez scored twice including a dramatic late winner to earn a 2-1 victory over England in a pulsating World Cup Group D match on Thursday.

Suarez took advantage of slack defending to fire the ball past England keeper Joe Hart five minutes from time having been restored to the lineup after recovering from knee surgery.

He had given Uruguay the lead by nodding in Edinson Cavani's cross after 39 minutes before Wayne Rooney equalised in the second half with his first ever World Cup goal.
 
The result meant Uruguay joined Italy and Costa Rica on three points and left England at the bottom of the group after two straight losses. Italy play Costa Rica on Friday.

It was Uruguay's first win over European opposition at a World Cup since they beat the Soviet Union in the 1970 quarter-finals.

"I dreamed about this," said a sobbing Suarez. "I am enjoying this moment for all the criticisms that I had to take."

Suarez scored 31 goals in 33 games for Liverpool in the Premier League last season, and was named Player of the Year, but remains a highly controversial figure in England.

He received a 10-match ban at the end of the 2012/13 season for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic and was banned for eight games and fined 40,000 pounds for racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra in December 2011.

Love him or hate him, there can be no denying Suarez is one of the most lethal finishers in football.

UNBELIEVABLY SLIM

While England huffed and puffed around the box, clinical Suarez put away his only two clear chances.

"I thought defensively we held up well against him for long periods," said devastated England manager Roy Hodgson. "But two chances came his way and he took them well.

"The second goal was a defensive mistake on our part. We came here with great hopes but were unable to deliver. It's a major, major sadness for me," said Hodgson, who described England's chances of advancing as "unbelievably slim".

Rooney went close after half an hour when he met Steven Gerrard's inswinging cross but his close-range header smacked back off the woodwork while he landed in the net.

With England fans jeering Suarez's every touch, the stage was set for the striker to turn the game on its head.

A lucky break in midfield sent the ball out wide to Edinson Cavani and Suarez escaped the attentions of Phil Jagielka to nod back across Hart for a 1-0 lead.

Suarez, who had been well policed by England's centre backs until that point, wheeled away with a huge smile on his face, kissing his wrists and gesturing frantically in delight.

After the break, Uruguay had England on the ropes and Cavani should have done better when put clean through by Suarez, but the rampaging forward screwed his shot wide.

England gradually regained the initiative with Rooney, widely criticised for his performance against Italy, at the heart of all their best work.

The number 10, who had never scored in the World Cup, picked up the scraps from a Leighton Baines delivery and brought a terrific save out of Muslera in the 55th minute.

NEW LIFE

Just when it looked like they would never find the net, Rooney breathed new life into England.

Fullback Glen Johnson worked his way into the box after delightful work by Daniel Sturridge, and his square ball was rammed home by Rooney at the far post, sending the massed ranks of England fans behind the goal into a frenzy.

England were in the ascendancy but when Gerrard failed to deal with Uruguay keeper Fernando Muslera's punt Suarez was away, outpacing Gary Cahill and slamming the ball past Hart.

Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez outlined the importance of Suarez, who was Player of the Year in England, to his side.

"His team mates really love him, we all love him, he is a wonderful person and a very important player for our team," Tabarez told a news conference.

"This chance, this destiny, after I don't know how long, we've been able to win against a European team and both goals were scored by a player who was unable to play a couple of weeks ago. So of course we love him and I think he loves us."

England battled bravely for an equaliser but South American champions Uruguay held firm, picking up three points that could go a long way to putting them in the knockout stages.

FULL-TIME

Uruguay 1 (Suarez 39" 85") England 1 (Rooney 75")

90+5" Jagielka has headed out a corner and with it possibly England's hopes of qualifying to the next stage as the whistle goes shortly after.

90+4" Gerrard is way off target with a desperate long range shot.

90+3" Gerrard lets fly from 30 yards out but it is wide.

90" England have five minutes of added time to get an equaliser but Gerrard over hits a cross into the box.

88" Suarez' strike must surely be the final nail in England's coffin after Gerrard misjudges a header in the middle which runs straight through to his Liverpool team-mate who produces a clinical finishing ramming the ball into the roof of the net past Hart.

85" GOAL! Suarez has done it again pouncing on a mistake by Gerrard and cracking into the net from close range.

Uruguay 1 (Suarez 39" 85") England 1 (Rooney 75")

78" Sturridge is all over the place with the Chelsea striker being the best England player by far.

77" Sturridge goes down in the box but there is no penalty and then fires a shot which is parried away by Muslera.

75" GOAL! Rooney is finally on target scoring his first World Cup gliding into the six-yard box to sidefoot in a fine pass from Johnson with his left.

Uruguay 1 (Suarez 39) England 1 (Rooney 75")

71" Lallana comes on for Welbeck as England look desperately for the equaliser.

68" YELLOW! Gerrard is booked for a nasty tackle on Rodriguez.

64" Sterling is replaced by Barkley.

61" Sterling tumbles in the box after slipping past Cavania and Pereira who is concussed aftet getting a knock of his head.

59" Henderson shoots into the six-yard with Muslera collecting the kick.

55" Muslera has to be treated after a nasty clash with Welbeck.

54" Rooney is not lucky for the third time as Muslera blocks a pile driver from close range with a left-footed shot after collecting a cross from Baines.

52" Cavani misses dragging the ball wide of Hart much to the relief of England. 

49" Hart finds a corner from Suarez too hot to handle and nearly pushes it into the path of Uruguay players before it is scrambled to safety.

46" England get the second period underway in sao Paulo.

HALF-TIME

Uruguay 1 (Suarez 39) England 0

43" England earn a couple of corners as they fight back.

41" Sturridge is denied by Muselera as he whipped a left-footed shot from close range

39" GOAL! Uruguay are in front via a Suarez header after the ball is worked out to Edinson Cavani, who crosses beautifully into the middle over Jagielka, for the Liverpool hitman to put it past Hart into the corner.

Uruguay 1 (Suarez 39) England 0

36" Sturridge attempts an ambitious long range effort which sails over.

31" Rooney goes close with his header from a delivery from a Gerrard free kick hitting the woodwork.

30" England get another free kick from a good position after Welbeck is tackled.

29" Godin, already on a yellow card, escapes after hauling down a rampant Sturridge but does well to clear the free kick from Gerrard.

28" Cavani hooks over the crossbard after Uruguay work a corner.

26" Hart is spot on as he field a dangerous free-kick from Suarez aimed at the far post.

21" Gerrard deep, finds Johnson wide, who tries to find Sturridge in the right channel. England look Liverpudlian.

20" Uruguay are seeing more of the ball with Suarez inspiring them though England have outpassed Uruguay 104 to 80 so far.

17" Rooney, Sterling, and Sturridge all link up on the edge of the box but run into the Uruguay wall.

15" Rodriguez is way off target with a booming left-footed drive with the ball sailing over the post.

14" Suarez is flagged for being offside after Caceres thumps the ball downfield.

10" Rooney goes close with a free kick from 30 yards in the centre with the ball swerving just over the far post.

9" YELLOW! Sturridge tries to flick the ball in to Rooney and Diego Godin is booked for a handball.

7" Sterling earns the first free kick showing quick silver feet while Baines floats the kick into the box.

2" Uruguay have their heart in the mouth as Muslera fumbles with the ball with Sturridge lurking.

1" Uruguay get the match under way kicking from left to right.

Uruguay named fit-again striker Luis Suarez in the starting line-up and England kept faith with Wayne Rooney as both teams fight to save their World Cup campaigns.

Liverpool's Suarez, last season's Premier League top-scorer, will partner Paris Saint-Germain's Edinson Cavani up front after recovering from knee surgery last month.

Rooney retained his place in an England team sheet that was unchanged from last week's 2-1 loss to Italy.

The Manchester United striker's form has attracted fierce debate in English media.

For Uruguay, Diego Godin got the nod as captain after regular skipper and fellow defender Diego Lugano was ruled out with a knee problem.

Uruguay also lost their opening Group D game, 3-1 to Costa Rica, meaning Thursday's clash in Sao Paulo is one neither side can afford to lose.

Just over an hour before kick-off at a rapidly filling Corinthians Arena, temperatures were at a cool 16 degrees C (61 F) and overcast.

Teams for Thursday's 2014 World Cup Group D match between Uruguay and England at the Corinthians arena, Sao Paulo.

Uruguay: 1-Fernando Muslera; 6-Alvaro Pereira, 3-Diego Godin, 13-Jose Maria Gimenez, 22-Martin Caceres; 20-Alvaro Gonzalez, 17-Egidio Arevalo Rios, 7-Cristian Rodriguez, 14-Nicolas Lodeiro; 9-Luis Suarez, 21-Edinson Cavani

Substitutes: 2-Diego Lugano, 4-Jorge Fucile, 5-Walter Gargano, 8-Abel Hernandez, 10-Diego Forlan, 11-Christian Stuani, 12-Rodrigo Munoz, 15-Diego Perez, 16-Maximiliano Pereira, 18-Gaston Ramirez, 19-Sebastian Coates, 23-Martin Silva

England: 1-Joe Hart; 2-Glen Johnson, 5-Gary Cahill, 6-Phil Jagielka, 3-Leighton Baines; 4-Steven Gerrard, 14-Jordan Henderson, 19-Raheem Sterling, 11-Danny Welbeck; 9-Daniel Sturridge, 10-Wayne Rooney

Substitutes: 7-Jack Wilshere, 8-Frank Lampard, 12-Chris Smalling, 13-Ben Foster, 15-Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 16-Phil Jones, 17-James Milner, 18-Rickie Lambert, 20-Adam Lallana, 21-Ross Barkley, 22-Fraser Forster, 23-Luke Shaw

Referee: Carlos Carballo (Spain)

PREVIEW

England and Uruguay will be among four teams battling to avoid an early World Cup exit on Thursday in the wake of Spain's shock elimination.

Twenty-four hours after Spain were dumped out with a 2-0 loss to Chile - a result which also ended Australia's campaign - four sides face second group matches where defeat would leave their further participation hanging by a thread.

The pick of the day's collisions sees England and Uruguay face off at 4pm (1900 GMT) in Group D at the Sao Paulo Arena.

Neither side has any margin for error after England opened with a 2-1 defeat to Italy following Uruguay's 3-1 loss to Costa Rica.

The match is expected to see Uruguay's star Luis Suarez pressed into action after undergoing knee surgery last month.

Uruguay badly missed the Liverpool striker's firepower against Costa Rica but coach Oscar Tabarez refused to confirm whether Suarez will start.

England manager Roy Hodgson expects Suarez to play.

"We believe Luis Suarez will come back and that will be a big boost for them, not just as a player but as a sort of confidence booster for the whole team," Hodgson said.

Hodgson's biggest dilemma has revolved around finding the best position for Wayne Rooney, with the Manchester United star expected to be moved to a more central role after being stationed on the left flank against Italy.

Tabarez meanwhile must patch up a defence which will be missing captain Diego Lugano (knee) and Maxi Pereira (suspended).

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