Last night saw Group C and D matches come to an end and the first set of next round matches established.
The night began with a 1 – 0 victory for Uruguay over Italy which sent Uruguay into the next round and Italy back home. Uruguay had to win the match in order to progress and the match was full of aggressive play as the team desperately tried to score. While they secured the win, the result was overshadowed by Luis Suarez’s apparent biting of Italian Giorgio Chiellini. Italy defended well throughout the match, but Godin managed to out-jump his marker and head home the ball from six yards in the 81st minute.
The second Group D game saw Costa Rica play England and it was England’s last chance to perform well before heading home. Costa Rica was already safely through to the next round which resulted in a somewhat lacklustre performance. England also started slowly and it wasn’t until the end of the match that they really started to play well. In the end the game ended in a 0-0 draw.
Group C saw Japan versus Colombia and Greece versus the Ivory Coast. Colombia’s progression was already secure but the team still came out fighting. At the end of the first half the teams were level on one goal apiece thanks to Okazaki and Cuardrado. However, Jackson Martinéz scored two second-half goals and James Rodriguez a fourth to give Colombia a convincing victory.
The second Group C game was a battle for second place. Early in the game it appeared that the Ivory Coast had the point it needed thanks to an equaliser from Wilfried Bony. However, Greece finished off in true style with a penalty from Georgios Samaras in the 92nd minute. The win means that for the first time the Greeks have progressed to the World Cup knockout rounds.
These results mean that in the next round, Chile faces Brazil, Uruguay plays Colombia, the Netherlands will take on Mexico and Greece will play Costa Rica.
Results
- Costa Rica vs. England – 0:0
- Uruguay vs Italy – 1:0
- Greece vs. Ivory Coast – 2:1
- Japan vs. Colombia – 1:4
