England vs Uruguay match report World Cup 2014: Luis Suarez puts England on the brink of exit despite Wayne Rooney’s first World Cup strike in 2-1 loss
Should Italy and Costa Rica draw on Friday, England are out
In past tournaments, England’s demise has been a slow drawn-out affair, with the handwringing and the tears and the dreadful sense of foreboding. Brazil 2014 promises to be short and sweet. If Italy and Costa Rica draw their game on Friday then Roy Hodgson’s men are out six days after they began. That throat-slicing moment from Greg Dyke at the draw back in October will not tell even half the story.
If there was honour in defeat against Italy in Manaus, then this was just a very poor England performance. They never imposed themselves upon the game and they twice allowed Luis Suarez the kind of goalscoring chances that Norwich City would be ashamed to give him. Roy Hodgson’s team were out of their depth against a Uruguay side who relied upon a striker who has not played a single game since the end of the season. It is a miserable way to go.
England had even fought their way back into the game with five minutes left to play, a first World Cup goal from Wayne Rooney, his 40 for his country and a moment that felt like it could be significant. England had been ragged, desperate at times, but they were improbably level again. Then they allowed a clearance by the Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera to carry all the way through to Suarez who, becalmed since his first half goal, pounced on the chance.
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