2014 FIFA World Cup Group D

Instant before Marco Ureña's goal

The two teams had met in 10 previous matches, most recently in 2009 in the CONCACAF – CONMEBOL play-off, won by Uruguay 2–1 on aggregate to qualify for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.[1]

Uruguay led the game 1–0 at half time, through an Edinson Cavani penalty after Diego Lugano was pulled down in the box by Júnior Díaz. Keylor Navas prevented Uruguay's lead from doubling by tipping over Diego Forlán's shot. In the second half, Joel Campbell equalised with a low shot to the right corner when the ball fell to him in the box after a deep cross from Cristian Gamboa on the right. Soon afterwards, Costa Rica went into the lead when Óscar Duarte scored with a low diving header to the right corner after a free kick from Christian Bolaños.[2] A pass from Campbell allowed substitute Marco Ureña to make it 3–1 with a low shot from a tight angle on the right, and in injury time Maxi Pereira was given a straight red card for a kick at Campbell.[3]

It was the first time Costa Rica scored three goals in a World Cup match,[4] and also the first time that Uruguay lost to a non-South American or non-European country in the World Cup.

14 June 2014

16:00 UTC−3

Uruguay	1–3	Costa Rica
Cavani  24' (pen.)	Report	Campbell  54' Duarte  57' Ureña  84'

Estádio Castelão, Fortaleza

Attendance: 58,679

Referee: Felix Brych (Germany)[5]

Uruguay

Costa Rica

GK 1 Fernando Muslera RB 16 Maxi Pereira  90+4' CB 2 Diego Lugano (c)  50' CB 3 Diego Godín LB 22 Martín Cáceres  81' RM 11 Christian Stuani CM 17 Egidio Arévalo CM 5 Walter Gargano  56'  60' LM 7 Cristian Rodríguez  76' CF 10 Diego Forlán  60' CF 21 Edinson Cavani Substitutions: MF 14 Nicolás Lodeiro  60' MF 20 Álvaro González  60' FW 8 Abel Hernández  76' Manager: Óscar Tabárez

GK 1 Keylor Navas CB 6 Óscar Duarte CB 3 Giancarlo González CB 4 Michael Umaña RWB 16 Cristian Gamboa LWB 15 Júnior Díaz CM 5 Celso Borges CM 17 Yeltsin Tejeda  75' AM 10 Bryan Ruiz (c)  83' AM 7 Christian Bolaños  89' CF 9 Joel Campbell Substitutions: MF 22 José Miguel Cubero  75' FW 21 Marco Ureña  83' MF 11 Michael Barrantes  89' Manager: Jorge Luis Pinto

The two teams had met in 24 previous matches, including in the 1990 FIFA World Cup third place match, won by Italy 2–1.[6] Their most recent competitive meeting was in the UEFA Euro 2012 quarter-finals, won by Italy on penalties after a scoreless draw.

Italy went ahead first, when from a short corner, Andrea Pirlo dummied Marco Verratti's pass, and Claudio Marchisio scored with a low right footed shot from outside the penalty box.[7] England quickly equalised through a close-range Daniel Sturridge goal from a Wayne Rooney cross from the left. The scores were level at 1–1 at half time, but Mario Balotelli headed Italy's winner from close range five minutes after play resumed from a cross by Antonio Candreva on the right.[8]

The England physiotherapist Gary Lewin was stretchered off with a dislocated ankle suffered in the celebrations for England's goal, which ruled him out for the rest of the World Cup.[9]

14 June 2014

18:00 UTC−4

England	1–2	Italy
Sturridge  37'	Report	Marchisio  35' Balotelli  50'

Arena da Amazônia, Manaus

Attendance: 39,800

Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)[5]

England

Italy

GK 1 Joe Hart RB 2 Glen Johnson CB 5 Gary Cahill CB 6 Phil Jagielka LB 3 Leighton Baines CM 4 Steven Gerrard (c) CM 14 Jordan Henderson  73' RW 11 Danny Welbeck  61' AM 19 Raheem Sterling  90+2' LW 10 Wayne Rooney CF 9 Daniel Sturridge  80' Substitutions: MF 21 Ross Barkley  61' MF 7 Jack Wilshere  73' MF 20 Adam Lallana  80' Manager: Roy Hodgson

GK 12 Salvatore Sirigu RB 4 Matteo Darmian CB 15 Andrea Barzagli CB 20 Gabriel Paletta LB 3 Giorgio Chiellini RM 8 Claudio Marchisio CM 16 Daniele De Rossi LM 23 Marco Verratti  57' AM 21 Andrea Pirlo (c) SS 6 Antonio Candreva  79' CF 9 Mario Balotelli  73' Substitutions: MF 5 Thiago Motta  57' FW 17 Ciro Immobile  73' MF 18 Marco Parolo  79' Manager: Cesare Prandelli

Suárez celebrating one of his goals

The two teams had met in ten previous matches, including twice in the FIFA World Cup (1954, quarter-finals: Uruguay 4–2 England; 1966, group stage: Uruguay 0–0 England).[10] Uruguay defender Maxi Pereira was suspended for the match, after being sent off in the team's match against Costa Rica.[11]

Uruguay took the lead in the first half, the goal headed in by Luis Suárez from a cross by Edinson Cavani on the left.[12] England equalised in the second half, when Wayne Rooney scored his first World Cup goal with a tap-in from a cross by Glen Johnson from the right. Suárez later secured Uruguay's victory, receiving the ball from goalkeeper Fernando Muslera's clearance which flicked off Steven Gerrard, and shot home his second goal of the match powerfully with his right foot.[13]

This was the first time that England lost three World Cup matches in a row, dating back to England's loss to Germany in the 2010 World Cup round of 16.

19 June 2014

16:00 UTC−3

Uruguay	2–1	England
Suárez  39', 85'	Report	Rooney  75'

Arena de São Paulo, São Paulo

Attendance: 62,575

Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (Spain)

Uruguay

England

GK 1 Fernando Muslera RB 22 Martín Cáceres CB 13 José Giménez CB 3 Diego Godín (c)  9' LB 6 Álvaro Pereira CM 20 Álvaro González  79' CM 17 Egidio Arévalo CM 7 Cristian Rodríguez AM 14 Nicolás Lodeiro  67' CF 9 Luis Suárez  88' CF 21 Edinson Cavani Substitutions: FW 11 Christian Stuani  67' DF 4 Jorge Fucile  79' DF 19 Sebastián Coates  88' Manager: Óscar Tabárez

GK 1 Joe Hart RB 2 Glen Johnson CB 5 Gary Cahill CB 6 Phil Jagielka LB 3 Leighton Baines CM 4 Steven Gerrard (c)  68' CM 14 Jordan Henderson  87' RW 19 Raheem Sterling  64' AM 10 Wayne Rooney LW 11 Danny Welbeck  71' CF 9 Daniel Sturridge Substitutions: MF 21 Ross Barkley  64' MF 20 Adam Lallana  71' FW 18 Rickie Lambert  87' Manager: Roy Hodgson

The two teams had met in one previous match, in a friendly in 1994.[14]

Mario Balotelli had Italy's best chance in the first half, lobbing the ball wide from inside the penalty area. Late in the first half, Joel Campbell had a clear penalty appeal denied, but Costa Rica nevertheless took the lead within a minute, as Júnior Díaz crossed from the left for Bryan Ruiz to head the ball onto the crossbar and over the line from close range.[15] Costa Rica was able to hold on for the win in the second half, ensuring their qualification for the knockout stage, their first since 1990, while simultaneously ensuring England's group stage exit, their first since 1958.[16]

Costa Rica became the second country to beat two World Cup champions in the group stage of one tournament, the other being Denmark, who had done it twice in 1986 (Uruguay and West Germany) and 2002 (Uruguay and France). Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon appeared in his fourth World Cup (he was also in the squad for the 1998 FIFA World Cup, but did not appear in any match), the fifth Italian player to do so.[17]

20 June 2014

13:00 UTC−3

Italy	0–1	Costa Rica
	Report	Ruiz  44'

Itaipava Arena Pernambuco, Recife

Attendance: 40,285

Referee: Enrique Osses (Chile)

Italy

Costa Rica

GK 1 Gianluigi Buffon (c) RB 4 Matteo Darmian CB 15 Andrea Barzagli CB 3 Giorgio Chiellini LB 7 Ignazio Abate DM 16 Daniele De Rossi CM 21 Andrea Pirlo CM 5 Thiago Motta  46' RW 6 Antonio Candreva  57' LW 8 Claudio Marchisio  69' CF 9 Mario Balotelli  69' Substitutions: FW 10 Antonio Cassano  46' FW 22 Lorenzo Insigne  57' FW 11 Alessio Cerci  69' Manager: Cesare Prandelli

GK 1 Keylor Navas SW 3 Giancarlo González RB 16 Cristian Gamboa CB 6 Óscar Duarte CB 4 Michael Umaña LB 15 Júnior Díaz CM 5 Celso Borges CM 17 Yeltsin Tejeda  68' RW 10 Bryan Ruiz (c)  81' LW 7 Christian Bolaños CF 9 Joel Campbell  74' Substitutions: MF 22 José Miguel Cubero  71'  68' FW 21 Marco Ureña  74' FW 14 Randall Brenes  81' Manager: Jorge Luis Pinto

The Uruguayan goalkeepers (L–R) Fernando Muslera, Rodrigo Muñoz, and Martín Silva celebrating after the match

The two teams had met in eight previous matches, including twice in the FIFA World Cup (1970, group stage: Italy 0–0 Uruguay; 1990, round of 16: Italy 2–0 Uruguay). Their most recent meeting was in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup third place match, won by Italy 3–2 on penalties (2–2 draw after extra time).[18]

After a goalless first half, Italy were reduced to 10 men in the second half when Claudio Marchisio was sent off for a studs-up challenge on Egidio Arévalo. The only goal of the game came when Uruguay's Gastón Ramírez delivered a corner from the right which Diego Godín rose to head with the ball going in off his back.[19] Uruguay's win qualified them for the knockout stage as the group runners-up, and eliminated Italy from the tournament; this marked the second consecutive time that Italy had been eliminated at the group stage.[20][21][22]

Around the 79th minute, Uruguay forward Luis Suárez bit the left shoulder of Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini. Chiellini showed the bite marks to Mexican referee Marco Rodríguez, who missed the incident. As the Italian players protested to the referee for not penalising Suárez, Uruguay won a corner and Godín scored.[22][20][21] In the 84th minute, a member of the Italian coaching staff was dismissed from the bench by the referee after an altercation with his Uruguayan counterparts.[23] After the biting incident, Suárez claimed that he "had contact with [Chiellini's] shoulder, nothing more" and that "these things happen".[20][21][22]

On the same day of the match, FIFA opened disciplinary proceedings against Suárez regarding the biting incident.[24] During the proceedings, FIFA confirmed that Suárez's previous two bans due to biting incidents (seven games for biting Otman Bakkal while playing for Ajax and 10 games for biting Branislav Ivanović while playing for Liverpool) would be taken into account.[25] Two days after the match, the FIFA Disciplinary Committee banned Suárez for nine international matches, effective immediately, meaning he would take no further part in the World Cup. It was the longest such ban in World Cup history, exceeding the eight-match ban handed to Italy's Mauro Tassotti for breaking the nose of Spain's Luis Enrique at the 1994 FIFA World Cup.[26][27][28] He was also banned from taking part in any football-related activity (including entering any stadium) for four months and fined CHF100,000 (approx. £65,700/€82,000/US$119,000).[29][26][27] The verdict would not prevent Suárez from transferring to another club.[30] Suárez later admitted that he had bitten Chiellini and formally apologised, while writing that the "physical result of a bite" occurred in a collision with Chiellini.[31][32] On 3 July, the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) appealed against the decision to FIFA,[33][34] but it was rejected on 10 July.[35][36][37] After an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Suárez was later allowed to participate in training and friendly matches with new club Barcelona.[38]

24 June 2014

13:00 UTC−3

Italy	0–1	Uruguay
	Report	Godín  81'

Arena das Dunas, Natal

Attendance: 39,706

Referee: Marco Rodríguez (Mexico)

Italy

Uruguay

GK 1 Gianluigi Buffon (c) CB 15 Andrea Barzagli CB 19 Leonardo Bonucci CB 3 Giorgio Chiellini RM 4 Matteo Darmian CM 23 Marco Verratti  75' CM 8 Claudio Marchisio  59' LM 2 Mattia De Sciglio  77' AM 21 Andrea Pirlo SS 17 Ciro Immobile  71' CF 9 Mario Balotelli  22'  46' Substitutions: MF 18 Marco Parolo  46' FW 10 Antonio Cassano  71' MF 5 Thiago Motta  75' Manager: Cesare Prandelli

GK 1 Fernando Muslera  90+1' RB 22 Martín Cáceres CB 13 José Giménez CB 3 Diego Godín (c) LB 6 Álvaro Pereira  63' RM 20 Álvaro González CM 17 Egidio Arévalo  46' LM 7 Cristian Rodríguez  78' AM 14 Nicolás Lodeiro  46' CF 9 Luis Suárez CF 21 Edinson Cavani Substitutions: DF 16 Maxi Pereira  46' FW 11 Christian Stuani  63' MF 18 Gastón Ramírez  78' Manager: Óscar Tabárez

Take of a corner kick for England during the match

The two teams had never met before.[39]

As England could no longer advance to the knockout stage, their manager Roy Hodgson made nine changes to the starting line-up with Frank Lampard captaining the side. The match finished goalless, and the draw was enough to confirm Costa Rica, which had already sealed their place in the knockout stage, as the group winners with seven points after three matches.[40]

This was England's 11th goalless draw in World Cup history, more than any other team.[41][42]

24 June 2014

13:00 UTC−3

Costa Rica	0–0	England
	Report

Estádio Mineirão, Belo Horizonte

Attendance: 57,823

Referee: Djamel Haimoudi (Algeria)

Costa Rica

England

GK 1 Keylor Navas SW 3 Giancarlo González  60' CB 6 Óscar Duarte CB 19 Roy Miller RWB 16 Cristian Gamboa LWB 15 Júnior Díaz DM 5 Celso Borges  78' CM 10 Bryan Ruiz (c) CM 17 Yeltsin Tejeda SS 14 Randall Brenes  59' CF 9 Joel Campbell  65' Substitutions: MF 7 Christian Bolaños  59' FW 21 Marco Ureña  65' MF 11 Michael Barrantes  78' Manager: Jorge Luis Pinto

GK 13 Ben Foster RB 16 Phil Jones CB 5 Gary Cahill CB 12 Chris Smalling LB 23 Luke Shaw CM 8 Frank Lampard (c) CM 7 Jack Wilshere  73' RW 17 James Milner  76' AM 21 Ross Barkley  53' LW 20 Adam Lallana  57'  62' CF 9 Daniel Sturridge Substitutions: MF 19 Raheem Sterling  62' MF 4 Steven Gerrard  73' FW 10 Wayne Rooney  76' Manager: Roy Hodgson