Here is a recap of Day Eight at the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
COLOMBIA 2 IVORY COAST 1
Colombia assured passage through to the knockout round with a 2-1 victory over Ivory Coast. Following a cagey first half that featured few chances for both sides, Los Cafeteros went ahead after 64 minutes on a header by James Rodriguez. Colombia then doubled their lead six minutes later as second half substitute Juan Quintero found himself on the end of a pass by Teófilo Gutiérrez that allowed him to streak down field uncontested before slotting a shot into the Ivorian net. The Elephants cut the lead to within one in the 73rd minute as Gervinho bypassed three defenders and then placed a shot past the Colombian goalkeeper, but it was not enough.
URUGUAY 2 ENGLAND 1
Luis Suarez took a bite out of England’s chances of advancing from the group stage with two goals as he led Uruguay to a 2-1 victory over the English. Making his first start of the 2014 FIFA World Cup after recovering from knee surgery, Suarez put
La Celeste
ahead 39 minutes in with a well-timed header past England goalkeeper Joe Hart. After the goal, it was all England as they peppered the Uruguay net before finding their equalizer in the 75
th
minute when several defensive miscues by the South Americans resulted in an easy close range finish by England striker Wayne Rooney. Suarez put the knife in English hearts just 10 minutes later though after a deflection by Steven Gerrard allowed the Uruguayan to recover the ball behind the defense and slot the winner home.
JAPAN 0 GREECE 0
Japan was unable to break down a 10-man Greece side despite numerous chances in a scoreless draw that kept both teams’ knockout round aspirations on life support. The Greeks went down a man in the 38th minute when Kostas Katsouranis was issued his second yellow card for a late challenge on midfielder Makoto Hasebe. Despite controlling possession, the Japanese were unable to break down the defensive-minded Greeks despite forcing goalkeeper Orestis Karnezis into action repeatedly in the second half. Both teams will enter their final group matches knowing that a win will keep their hopes alive.
The World Cup returns on Friday with three matches. The day begins with Italy taking on surprise package Costa Rica at 9:00 a.m. PT before Switzerland faces France in an all-European affair 12:00 p.m. PT. The action concludes with Honduras seeking to keep their World Cup hopes alive against Ecuador at 3:00 p.m. PT.
Adam Serrano is the LA Galaxy Insider. Read his blog at LAGalaxy.com/Insider and contact him at LAGalaxyInsider@Gmail.com.
