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England hanging by a thread after Uruguay defeat

Uruguay 2 - 1 England

Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka both started England's second Group D game against Uruguay in Sao Paulo today which ended in more disappointment for the Three Lions.

Though the formation was altered, Roy Hodgson ignored the clamour for personnel changes by naming an unchanged team from the one that lost to Italy.

That meant Ross Barkley starting on the bench again for a match that England were expected to win despite Luis Suarez returning for a Uruguay team that was beaten comprehensively by Costa Rica last Saturday.

Wayne Rooney pulled rank over Baines for a 10th-minute direct free kick that drifted inches over the bar as England tried to make early inroads following a Godin handball.

Uruguay's first chance came as the result of a miscued touch by Jagielka that led to Cristian Rodriguez going very close with a smashed shot from the angle.

Edinson Cavani went similarly close in the 27th minute with a first-time snapshot as Hodgson's men struggled to impose themselves on a cagey encounter.

Danny Welbeck's pace started to cause Uruguay more problems as the half-hour mark approached and when he won a free kick off Caceres, Rooney headed Steven Gerrard's set-piece against the angle of crossbar and post, the former Everton forward inches away from finally breaking his World Cup duck at the 10th attempt.

The South Americans struck just when England appeared to be applying some pressure, though, when they broke and Cavani's chipped cross floated over Jagielka's head and Suarez nodded it beyond Joe Hart to make it 1-0 to Uruguay six minutes before half time.

Cavani missed badly when put in on Hart as England started the second half poorly but Rooney then had the Three Lions' best chance off Baines' low cross but he shot too close to Muslera in the Uruguay goal and it was beaten away.

Barkley made his belated entrance in the 64th minute when he came on for Raheem Sterling and the space started to open up for England in forward areas.

Great work by Glen Johnson set up Rooney and he side-footed home from close range to make it 1-1 and Sturridge could have turned the game on its head soon afterwards but couldn't get enough power to guide it past the keeper.

When Gerrard put his head on a long clearance by the keeper, he inadvertently put Suarez in the clear, though, and the striker predictably made no mistake as he lashed it past Hart for the winner.

Barkley was peripheral as England pressed in vain for an equaliser and the game petered out to its conclusion that leaves Hodgson's side having to beat Costa Rica by a two goals and hoping that Italy beat both the Central Americans and Uruguay in their games if they are to progress.

 

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