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| England sunk by Uruguay as Luis Suárez makes his mark | England sunk by Uruguay as Luis Suárez makes his mark |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| After four years of planning, all that emotional commitment and all the anticipation that always attaches itself to this tournament, England’s World Cup has unravelled in the space of five traumatic days and the defining image is of Luis Suárez, on the floor, weeping with joy after the goals that had opened the door and pointed Roy Hodgson’s team on the way out. It is the first time England have lost their first two games of this tournament and if, or rather when, everything is confirmed their departure comes ignominiously early. | After four years of planning, all that emotional commitment and all the anticipation that always attaches itself to this tournament, England’s World Cup has unravelled in the space of five traumatic days and the defining image is of Luis Suárez, on the floor, weeping with joy after the goals that had opened the door and pointed Roy Hodgson’s team on the way out. It is the first time England have lost their first two games of this tournament and if, or rather when, everything is confirmed their departure comes ignominiously early. |
| Hodgson’s team had attracted a certain amount of understanding after the Italy defeat but it was beyond them to play with that panache again and, if there is to be any feat of escapology, it is going to need an unlikely combination of results and handouts. More realistically, they have blown everything within a week. A draw when Italy play Costa Rica on Friday will confirm another deeply unsatisfactory tournament and Hodgson will be acutely aware that the inquest this time will be far less sympathetic. | Hodgson’s team had attracted a certain amount of understanding after the Italy defeat but it was beyond them to play with that panache again and, if there is to be any feat of escapology, it is going to need an unlikely combination of results and handouts. More realistically, they have blown everything within a week. A draw when Italy play Costa Rica on Friday will confirm another deeply unsatisfactory tournament and Hodgson will be acutely aware that the inquest this time will be far less sympathetic. |
| His team had offered themselves hope after Wayne Rooney had made it 1-1 with his first-ever World Cup goal but England’s history of being shown up once they face authentic category-A superstars has resurfaced and Suarez played as though affronted by the suggestion he might have fitness issues. | |
| Uruguay were quick to the ball, strong in the tackle and seemed intent on showing that they were a better team than they had been in their opening game. Oscár Tabárez’s side pressed their opponents higher up the pitch than Italy had thought wise in the Manaus heat and that strategy succeeded for long spells in preventing England from passing the ball out of defence. | Uruguay were quick to the ball, strong in the tackle and seemed intent on showing that they were a better team than they had been in their opening game. Oscár Tabárez’s side pressed their opponents higher up the pitch than Italy had thought wise in the Manaus heat and that strategy succeeded for long spells in preventing England from passing the ball out of defence. |
| Hodgson had said beforehand that Uruguay’s performance against Costa Rica should be regarded as a deception and it did not need long, under the slate-grey skies of São Paulo, to establish that England’s defence might be vulnerable again when placed under this form of pressure. | |
| Hodgson must have been alarmed by the frequency with which his players lost the ball inside their own half and, at this level, a team cannot defend as obligingly as we saw here for Suárez’s goal. England had half a dozen players in their own half but still could not prevent that brilliant piece of link-up play between Edinson Cavani and the scorer. Cavani’s cross was exquisite and Suárez peeled away exquisitely from Phil Jagielka to head the ball across Joe Hart. Yet the marking was dreadfully poor and Steven Gerrard will regard the goal as a personal failure after Nicolás Lodeiro had started the move by evading him in the centre circle. As soon as the ricochet went against Gerrard, England were in trouble. Yet they still had enough bodies in the right positions to have done significantly better. | Hodgson must have been alarmed by the frequency with which his players lost the ball inside their own half and, at this level, a team cannot defend as obligingly as we saw here for Suárez’s goal. England had half a dozen players in their own half but still could not prevent that brilliant piece of link-up play between Edinson Cavani and the scorer. Cavani’s cross was exquisite and Suárez peeled away exquisitely from Phil Jagielka to head the ball across Joe Hart. Yet the marking was dreadfully poor and Steven Gerrard will regard the goal as a personal failure after Nicolás Lodeiro had started the move by evading him in the centre circle. As soon as the ricochet went against Gerrard, England were in trouble. Yet they still had enough bodies in the right positions to have done significantly better. |
| England had managed to conjure up some encouraging moments of their own and were entitled to be aggrieved that the Uruguay captain, Diego Godín, had not been sent off ten minutes before the goal. Godín had already been booked for a strategic handball to cut out Daniel Sturridge’s through ball and when he jutted out his arm to body-check the same player, having realised he was about to lose out in a sprint, it was a second piece of cynicism that really should have removed him from the game. | England had managed to conjure up some encouraging moments of their own and were entitled to be aggrieved that the Uruguay captain, Diego Godín, had not been sent off ten minutes before the goal. Godín had already been booked for a strategic handball to cut out Daniel Sturridge’s through ball and when he jutted out his arm to body-check the same player, having realised he was about to lose out in a sprint, it was a second piece of cynicism that really should have removed him from the game. |
| A couple of minutes later, Wayne Rooney read the trajectory of Gerrard’s free-kick and met the ball at the far post only to direct his header against the crossbar from pinpoint range. It was England’s outstanding chance of the opening half and, again, there was the clear sense that Uruguay can be guilty of defending too generously. | A couple of minutes later, Wayne Rooney read the trajectory of Gerrard’s free-kick and met the ball at the far post only to direct his header against the crossbar from pinpoint range. It was England’s outstanding chance of the opening half and, again, there was the clear sense that Uruguay can be guilty of defending too generously. |
| Yet England’s speed of thought and movement in their attacking positions was not of the same calibre as in the Italy game, and Suárez’s goal came during a period when England had frequently looked uneasy at the back. | Yet England’s speed of thought and movement in their attacking positions was not of the same calibre as in the Italy game, and Suárez’s goal came during a period when England had frequently looked uneasy at the back. |
| Gary Cahill could be seen misplacing passes, and Jagielka was fortunate that another lapse finished with Cristian Rodríguez arrowing a diagonal shot over the crossbar. | Gary Cahill could be seen misplacing passes, and Jagielka was fortunate that another lapse finished with Cristian Rodríguez arrowing a diagonal shot over the crossbar. |
| Suárez had menaced from the start, almost catching out Hart with a corner that was swinging into the goal until Hart scrambled back. Cavani was full of hard running but, more than anything, it was the way Uruguay’s midfielders and attackers hunted down the ball that caused England’s problems. | Suárez had menaced from the start, almost catching out Hart with a corner that was swinging into the goal until Hart scrambled back. Cavani was full of hard running but, more than anything, it was the way Uruguay’s midfielders and attackers hunted down the ball that caused England’s problems. |
| It was a difficult night as well for Glen Johnson and Leighton Baines and England were fortunate Suárez and Cavani were not more clinical with the three chances Uruguay put together in the first five minutes of the second half. Rooney, back in his central role, had a good chance to punish their wastefulness soon afterwards, but his left foot has never been a great weapon and the goalkeeper, Fernando Muslera, gratefully clasped the ball. | It was a difficult night as well for Glen Johnson and Leighton Baines and England were fortunate Suárez and Cavani were not more clinical with the three chances Uruguay put together in the first five minutes of the second half. Rooney, back in his central role, had a good chance to punish their wastefulness soon afterwards, but his left foot has never been a great weapon and the goalkeeper, Fernando Muslera, gratefully clasped the ball. |
| Mostly England looked ragged. They also needed more from their wide players. Danny Welbeck was not contributing enough and Raheem Sterling had drifted to the edges after a promising start. Against Italy, Sterling had used his raw pace and directness to terrorise the opposition. Here, his final act before Ross Barkley replaced him was to try to win a penalty with a dive. | Mostly England looked ragged. They also needed more from their wide players. Danny Welbeck was not contributing enough and Raheem Sterling had drifted to the edges after a promising start. Against Italy, Sterling had used his raw pace and directness to terrorise the opposition. Here, his final act before Ross Barkley replaced him was to try to win a penalty with a dive. |
| Rooney’s goal came almost as a surprise. Sturridge linked up with Johnson and his cross was weighted perfectly for Rooney to arrive at the far post and score from close range. Briefly, England had threatened to turn the game upside-down. But then Suárez was clear again, with almost non-existent defending. A team cannot present gifts of this nature to a player of Suárez’s rare gifts. | Rooney’s goal came almost as a surprise. Sturridge linked up with Johnson and his cross was weighted perfectly for Rooney to arrive at the far post and score from close range. Briefly, England had threatened to turn the game upside-down. But then Suárez was clear again, with almost non-existent defending. A team cannot present gifts of this nature to a player of Suárez’s rare gifts. |