SAO PAULO, Brazil — Luis Suarez has tormented English clubs for two Premier League seasons. On Thursday, he bedeviled the English national team.
On a day of riveting World Cup soccer at Arena de Sao Paulo, the Uruguayan bad boy scored in the 85th minute — his second goal of the match — for a 2-1 victory.
Uruguay, a 2010 semifinalist, revived its hopes of advancing from Group D to the knockout stage after a shocking loss to Costa Rica, while England suffered its second consecutive defeat and moved to the brink of elimination. A draw between Italy and Costa Rica on Friday would end England’s hopes.
Suarez scored late in the first half before Wayne Rooney equalized in the 75th minute with his first goal in three World Cups.
Both will close group play Tuesday: Uruguay against Italy in Natal and England vs. Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte.
Despite being down forward Jozy Altidore, The U.S. national soccer team is preparing to take on Portugal and one of the best players in the world, Christiano Ronaldo, on Sunday. ( / AP)
The English squad and its merry supporters woke to a perfect English day in southern Brazil: ashen, cool and with a threat of mist. It was a suitable backdrop for the Three Lions to revive their ambitions of qualifying for the knockout stage.
The meeting was ripe with intrigue as Suarez, the Premier League’s top scorer with 31 goals, squared off against five Liverpool teammates representing England. In his recovery from minor knee surgery three weeks ago, Suarez had missed the Group D opener, a stunning 3-1 defeat to Costa Rica.
Known as much for mischief as scoring menace, the provocateur was greeted by howls from the English supporters and raucous applause from La Celeste backers, whose sky-blue attire brightened the dour day.
The most vivid colors were provided by goalkeeper Fernando Muslera, whose neon-orange, head-to-toe outfit could have served as a beacon for flights into Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport.
Uruguay began well, moving in rhythm and threatening to unlock England’s defense. The first true chance came from England, though, as Rooney’s 25-yard free kick buzzed within a whisker of the top left corner as Muslera froze in horror.
Cristian Rodriguez was just as close five minutes later on a roaring one-time bid that streaked over the crossbar.
England answered in the 31st on a set piece, Steven Gerrard finding Rooney a yard or two from the target. Rooney did well to get his head on it but did not have the height to direct the ball down. Instead, it crashed off the frame where the crossbar meets the right post.
The Post's Dom Phillips takes in the first World Cup game with a family in a Sao Paulo favela, a poor neighborhood just miles from the lights of the stadium. (Kiratiana Freelon / The Washington Post)
Uruguay went ahead eight minutes later. Dodging obstacles, Nicolas Lodeiro charged through midfield and pushed the ball ahead to Edinson Cavani on the left side. Three defenders gravitated toward him, but the one closest to cause disruption, right back Glen Johnson, allowed Cavani too much time and space.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward floated a wonderful pass over Phil Jagielka to Suarez, who headed the ball back across the six-yard box and past moving goalkeeper Joe Hart — a world-class finish supplied by world-class service.
Not only was England losing, a player loathed everywhere in the country beyond Liverpool’s Anfield gates was responsible.
The second half crackled from kickoff. For the second time, Suarez tried to sneak a corner kick into the near corner, forcing Hart to make a goal-line stop. Cavani, set up by Rodriguez and Lodeiro, missed the far corner.
Rooney should have equalized in the 54th minute from a mere 10 yards, but his attempt was too close to Muslera, who made an outstanding reflex save.
In a frightening moment, Raheem Sterling’s left knee smashed into the head of sliding defender Alvaro Pereira. After Pereira received treatment, the team doctor signaled for a substitution. Pereira wagged his finger repeatedly, insisting he could continue. He returned.
The match proceeded with unrelenting fervor. England’s perseverance paid off in the 75th minute when Johnson made a brilliant run into the penalty area and crossed into the six-yard box, where Rooney was waiting for a simple tap-in.
England pressed for more, but Spanish referee Carlos Carballo ignored Pereira’s takedown of Daniel Sturridge and Muslera made a superb save on the English forward.
Suarez responded in the dying minutes on a sequence that came out of nothing. Muslera’s long goal kick bounded off Gerrard and fell into Suarez’s path clear on the right side. He bore down on Hart before unleashing a ferocious right-footed shot from eight yards, setting off wild celebrations in the Uruguayan sections.
Steven Goff is The Post’s soccer writer. His beats include D.C. United, MLS and the international game, as well as local college basketball.
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