SAO PAULO (AP) — Luis Suarez scored twice to give Uruguay a 2-1 victory over England at the World Cup on Thursday, making an instant impact on his return from injury to revive his team's Group D campaign.
The Liverpool striker, who hadn't played since undergoing surgery on his left knee last month, lashed in the winner in the 85th minute, after seeing his first-half opener canceled out by Wayne Rooney.
After surprisingly losing its Group D opener to Costa Rica, Uruguay's qualifying chances have now been given a major lift, while England's hopes of advancing to the round of 16 are in real jeopardy after its worst World Cup start in more than half a century.
Of Uruguay's six efforts on target, five were from Suarez — including the two that beat goalkeeper Joe Hart as England's slack defending was exploited.
By taking his World Cup tally to five goals, Suarez ensured that Rooney's first-ever goal in 10 matches on football's biggest stage was in vain at his third tournament.
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COLOMBIA 2, IVORY COAST 1
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Colombia qualified for the World Cup's knockout stage, beating Ivory Coast after scoring twice in a six-minute spell in the second half.
Driven on by a partisan pro-Colombian crowd inside the Estadio Nacional, the South Americans went ahead through James Rodriguez's powerful header from a corner in the 64th minute before substitute Juan Quintero added a second on a break following a defensive error.
Colombia held on to its lead, despite a brilliant 73rd-minute goal by Gervinho, for a second straight win in Group C. With Japan and Greece drawing 0-0 later Thursday, Colombia is assured of finishing in the top two spots in Group C.
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JAPAN 0, GREECE 0
NATAL, Brazil (AP) — Reduced to 10 men after captain Costas Katsouranis was sent off in the 38th minute with his second booking, Greece held on for a draw with Japan that kept both alive in Group C and sent rival Colombia through to the knockout round of the World Cup.
Both teams inserted new strikers in search of goals and a first victory, but ultimately the main objective was survival and both achieved that with one match left in group play. Japan would have been eliminated with a loss.
Once Katsouranis was sent off after a rough challenge on Makoto Hasebe, Greece withdrew into a defensive setup and held firm. Greece surrendered three goals in a loss to Colombia, but even short-handed was better organized against Japan and avoided any critical mistakes.
"My players were brilliant," said Greece coach Fernando Santos. "They worked hard after the red card. Without the red card we probably would have won the game."
News Topics: Sports, 2014 FIFA World Cup, FIFA World Cup, Soccer, Men's soccer, International soccer, Events, Men's sportsPeople, Places and Companies: Its Group, Luis Suarez, Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart, James Rodriguez, Juan Fernando Quintero, Makoto Hasebe, Fernando Santos, Brazil, Greece, Colombia, England, South America, Latin America and Caribbean, Western Europe, Europe, United Kingdom, Japan, East Asia, Asia
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