After the victory of the Italian national football team 2:1 against the England national team in Group D of the World Cup, the defeated team's players reassured each other that the tournament is far from over for them. "Regardless of the result against Italy we still had and still have to beat Uruguay. Yes, the goal of reaching the next stage has now become more difficult, but it is still achievable," said England's team captain Steven Gerrard after the loss. Having played his 112th match in the national team ranks, the veteran praised his team for their beautiful style of play. "Four years ago we were criticized for playing defensively, but that was not the case now. Everyone saw that we were trying to create. We pressed the opponents, created many opportunities, but did not score. Yes, we need to improve our finishing, but everyone saw that in this match we gave our all," Gerrard said. Meanwhile, Italy's national team coach Cesare Prandelli called his opponents "wonderful" and was very pleased to achieve victory. "Teams change and evolve. Just a few years ago, the English played slow football based on long passes, but in these matches it was the opposite. They played individually very well, made good and dangerous low passes, although they still used their physical strength. This is a very powerful attacking team, so I am very happy that we beat such a strong team," Prandelli said after the match. After the loss, England's national team coach Roy Hodgson not only received praise for the team's beautiful game, but also had to defend Wayne Rooney. "I think he played well, made a productive pass. We can use Wayne in multiple positions. I think he should be satisfied with his performance in these matches. Raheem Sterling posed a lot of danger to the opponents, and in attack Daniel Sturridge played excellently. Steven Gerrard and Jordan Henderson did exactly what I wanted. It's a shame we lost, because in the second half there were too few shots on our goal. Joe Hart had a really good match, but we had to admit the opponents' advantage. This result gives us optimism that we can really beat Uruguay and Costa Rica and play in the quarterfinals," Hodgson said.
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