Suarez savages Three Lions

WORLD CUP GROUP D:

Although not technically out just yet, they are definitely down and, barring some major assistance from Italy and an even bigger change in their own fortunes, not likely to bounce back any time soon.

Even Wayne Rooney’s first goal in the finals of the Mundial at the 10th attempt was not enough to make this a night to remember for Roy Hodgson’s men. Instead, the scene-stealer was a player only too familiar to them all from his devastating displays in the red of Liverpool. Two goals from Luis Suarez, whose performance made a mockery of concerns about his fitness, were the difference in Sao Paulo, ensuring that, while Uruguay recovered from their shock defeat to Costa Rica, it was back to back misery in defeat for England.

“Everyone’s absolutely devastated,” said defender Phil Jagielka last night.

“Gutting, played so well again in spells, unfortunately a little bit of luck went against us.”

In the build-up to the game, England had, yet again, been turning lonely eyes to Rooney as Roy Hodgson vowed the lions would attack. The hope, if not quite the expectation, given that he had previously registered a big fat zero at World Cups — and, in truth, never looked like bucking the trend against Italy in Manaus — was that the country’s most naturally gifted player would finally break his duck in Sao Paulo and add Uruguay to the list of generally less than powerhouse football nations against whom he has registered competitive goals in his senior international career: we’re talking Macedonia, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Croatia, Estonia, Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Andorra, Bulgaria, Ukraine, San Marino, Poland, Montenegro.

Uruguay, of course, also had a goal-getter preoccupying their thoughts and prayers, Suarez risked for what was effectively a World Cup relegation battle, after he’d not even been considered fit enough to be sprung from the bench in his team’s hour of need against Costa Rica. While Roy Hodgson kept faith with the side which had shown promise, though not much more, against Italy — although, this time, Rooney was played centrally, with Raheem Sterling out wide — Suarez was just one of five changes made to Oscar Tabarez’ starting line-up as the manager sought to put Uruguay’s shock opening game reversal behind them.

And just to add some extra spice to an already tasty occasion, the stats showed the evening’s two main protagonists, Rooney and Suarez were locked together on 39 international goals going into the game. Something had to give on a lot of fronts. As events were to prove, it wouldn’t be the Uruguayan.

Having stewed in the sauna of Manaus — though, to be fair to him, Hodgson never sought to use the conditions as mitigation for their defeat to Italy — England could certainly have no complaints about what would have been a very familiar climate for last night’s game. At a considerable elevation — and it would have felt considerably more for those supporters perched high up in the temporary uncovered stands at either end of the new arena — Sao Paulo was not only chilly but, under lowering skies, always threatening to live up its local nickname of ‘The City Of Drizzle’. We might have been in South America but this was as much Southport as Sao Paulo.

Joe Hart wasn’t looking like he felt too much at home in the opening stages, however, flapping at a Suarez corner down by his near post. But the first set-piece that nearly counted was delivered by Rooney from just outside the ‘D’, his controlled effort curling inches wide of Fernando Muslero’s post, after skipper Diego Godin’s handball had given away the free.

Flanked by the spring-heeled Sterling on the right and Danny Welbeck on the left, Rooney’s positioning as the pivot behind Daniel Sturridge was playing to the United’s man’s strengths, as England forced the pace and Uruguay were obliged to defend in numbers for much of the opening quarter. Initially, Suarez had been looking an isolated figure up front and, on one of the few occasions his team got forward, he showed his frustration when strike partner Edison Cavani didn’t read his run in behind the England defence. Indeed, the greatest threat to England in the opening half an hour was coming from within, a lapse in concentration from Rooney in the middle of the park, seeing Egiidio Arevalo quick to snap at his heels, steal the ball, and prompt Uruguay’s first decent attacking move.

At the other end, the South Americans’ robust tackling meant they were conceding plenty of frees, and it was from a trademark Steven Gerrard inswinger that Rooney almost broke his duck and the deadlock just past the half-hour mark, his far post header clattering off the upright at almost point-blank range.

And then, in the 39th minute, out of the blue of Uruguay, Suarez — who else? — showed Rooney and everyone else how it should be done. It might have been opportunistic and against the run of play but, after Gerrard had been out-muscled in midfield, the goal was brilliantly conceived and executed, Edison Cavani floating a pinpoint angled ball over Phil Jagielka which the back-pedalling Suarez nodded home with something approaching nonchalant ease.

It was Uruguay’s first shot on target but it was enough to take them into the break in the lead — and then promptly pick up where they’d left off at the start of the second half. In quick succession, Hart had to react smartly to protect his line and Suarez and Cavani both squandered great chances as shell-shocked England seemed on the brink of complete capitulation.

When Rooney then shot straight at Muslera with the goal was gaping, the sense grew that this was not going to be England’s night, and especially not when Uruguay were prepared to engage in all the black arts, from niggly fouls to time-wasting, to protect their lead. Mind you, Sterling was also happy to unveil at least one of his own — an especially transparent dive — before Ross Barkley was sent on in his place.

But in the 75th minute, Rooney seemed at long last to have answered his critics — and also his country’s call for a World Cup goal. First, there was some brilliant work by Sturridge to put Glen Johnson away up the right and, when his angled ball flashed across goal, there was Rooney to end the drought.

Since a draw was not of much use to either side, it was rip-roaring end to end stuff now but you felt the final word in this tight game was always going to go to the striker with the keenest edge. And when a route one ball skimmed off Gerrard’s head in an unintentional Liverpool assist, there was that man Suarez again to run onto the ball and blast past Hart. What would he be like if he was fit?

URUGUAY (4-3-1-2): Muslera; Caceres, Giminez, Godin, A. Pereira; Gonzalez (Fucile 80), Arevalo, Rodriguez; Lodiera (Stuani 66); Suarez (Coates 88), Cavani.

ENGLAND (4-2-3-1): Hart, Johnson, Cahill, Jagielka, Baines; Gerrard, Henderson (Lambert 87); Sterling (Barkley 64), Rooney, Welbeck (Lallana 70); Sturridge Referee: Carlos