It had to be Luis Suarez - Uruguay 2-1 England

It just had to be him didn't it?

After a great performance that ended in defeat on Saturday, England's performance level went down but alas the result stayed the same as Alex Johnson writes...

Uruguay star Luis Suarez's brace condemned England to a second Group D defeat to leave their World Cup hopes hanging by a thread.

The Liverpool striker was a doubt to feature in the game given the fact that he underwent knee surgery a month ago but, despite not being classed as 100% match fit, his clinical finishing in either half of the game in Sao Paulo was the difference between the teams.

England did level through Wayne Rooney with 15 minutes to go and the Three Lions looked the likelier to win it only to be caught out by Suarez with five minutes left on the clock.

Uruguay join Italy and Costa Rica on three points and England sit bottom of the group and needing to defeat Costa Rica in their final game and then hope Italy win their two remaining matches to have any chance of progression.

Suarez tried to catch out Joe Hart from a fifth-minute corner that he fired towards the near post and had the England keeper scrambling to push it away.

Rooney then curled a free kick inches wide of the Uruguay goal five minutes later as England pressed forward.

On 15 minutes Uruguay came forward and almost capitalised on Phil Jagielka's slip in the box as his poor clearance dropped to Christian Rodriguez, who lashed an effort just over from the left of the area.

There was controversy on 29 minutes when Diego Godin, who had already been booked for handball, clearly blocked the run of Daniel Sturridge and managed to escape a second yellow card and subsequent red.

England went the closest to breaking the deadlock just after the half-hour when Rooney got up to meet Steven Gerrard's free kick from the left and headed against the bar from close range at full stretch.

Uruguay took the lead on 39 minutes when Gerrard could not get possession in midfield and the ball was played out to Edinson Cavani just to the left of the England area. He then chipped an exquisite ball into the middle where Suarez got in behind Jagielka to coolly head past Hart.

Early in the second half Suarez again had Hart scrambling to beat out his corner that was heading inside the near post, before Cavani got in down the left of the area and curled his strike just wide of the far post.

Rooney was denied by a fine save from Fernando Muslera on 54 minutes as Leighton Baines's cross from the left fell to him and he fired at goal from close range.
England enjoyed some good pressure and were rewarded with an equaliser in the 75th minute.

Glen Johnson's determined run and cross from the right of the area fell to Rooney at the back post and he fired in his first-ever World Cup goal from close range.

Moments later Sturridge went down in the area but was denied a penalty before he fired in a low strike which Muslera did well to save.

England were in the ascendancy and looked the likelier to win it until they were caught out on 85 minutes. A long hopeful goal kick up the field was inadvertently flicked on by Gerrard and it fell into the path of Suarez, who raced into the area and lashed the ball past Hart from an angle to win it for Uruguay.