The Italians, who tried to pull out a draw, were punished and the English will have to pack their bags after the World Cup D group battles. In the last round, C. Prandelli's team lost 0-1 to Uruguay, while the English failed to overcome the representatives of Costa Rica - 0-0. The tactics of the European vice-champions could be predicted before the match - the Italians tried to control the ball longer and didn't rush too much towards the opponents' goal. The Uruguayans tried to attack, but G. Buffon securely defended the European goal. In the middle of the half, "the blues" striker M. Balotelli received a yellow card, which means he would miss the next game. In the 32nd minute, L. Suarez broke into the penalty area with a chance to score, but G. Buffon blocked the shot. N. Lodeiro was also inaccurate. Before the break, the Italians' defenders played confidently, easily breaking down the opponent's attacks. In the 59th minute, the referee made a controversial decision and sent the tough C. Marchisio off the field. With about ten minutes left to play, G. Chiellini tried to show the referee that L. Suarez bit him, but he did not react. Soon, the decisive goal of the match fell - after a corner kick, D. Godin scored with a header. The desperate Italians tried to create a last-minute comeback, but the Uruguayans defended well and took second place in the group. Uruguay 1 - 0 Italy 81' [1 - 0] D. Godin
Starting line-ups: Italy: Buffon (c), De Sciglio, Chiellini, Darmian, Marchisio, Balotelli, Barzagli, Immobile, Bonucci, Pirlo, Verratti. Uruguay: Muslera, Godin (c), Pereira, Rodriguez, Suarez, Gimenez, Lodeiro, Arevalo, Gonzalez, Cavani, Caceres.
R. Hodgson, who decided to radically change the lineup, could not be impressed by the first half of the match. Moreover, Costa Rica had a great chance to score, but in the 23rd minute, C. Borges' shot shook the goal frame. The English responded with dangerous situations from corners, but the result didn't change. In the second half, the English continued to struggle to find ways to finish the championship victorious. England: Foster, Cahill, Wilshere, Lampard (c), Sturridge, Smalling, Jones, Milner, Lallana, Barkley, Shaw. Costa Rica: Navas, Gonzalez, Borges, Duarte, Campbell, Ruiz (c), Brenes, Diaz, Gamboa, Tejeda, Miller.
Group D standing: 1. Costa Rica 2. Uruguay 3. Italy 4. England
