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England, Uruguay play crucial match Thursday
By: Zach Cohen - StatFox
Published: 6/19/2014  at  5:04:00 AM
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2014 WORLD CUP SOCCER

URUGUAY


vs. ENGLAND


Kickoff: Thursday, 3:00 p.m. EDT
Arena Corinthians – Sao Paulo, Brazil

Line:
Uruguay +150, England +150, Tie +220
Over/Under: 2.5 Goals

Two teams that desperately need a win to advance to the knockout rounds will clash Thursday when Uruguay takes on England.

Uruguay got off to a horrific start in Group D play, as they were unable to defeat a Costa Rica team that was a heavy underdog to come out of the group. They must now beat an England team that will be just as eager to get in the win column.

Twenty-four minutes into their opening game in Group D play, Uruguay took a 1-0 lead as Edinson Cavani converted on a penalty with a shot to the bottom right corner of the net. Leading 1-0 and owning a 54% to 46% advantage in time of possession, Uruguay was unable to hold on. Despite leading in shots on goal 5-4, it was all Costa Rica from the moment the second half started. At the 54-minute mark, Joel Campbell scored on a left-footed shot to tie the game, and three minutes later they were losing 2-1 after a header by Oscar Duarte. Eighty-four minutes into the game, Marcos Urena put Uruguay away with a right-footed shot from the right side of the field to give Costa Rica a 3-1 lead. Uruguay must generate more chances against England while also cleaning up their defense on their own side of the field.

England had a tough opening Group D match as they took on Italy in what would be an outstanding game. The two teams were very evenly matched and neither really stood out as the more talented of the two.

England played a solid game against Italy, losing the battle in time of possession by just 4%, but leading in shots on goal (8-5), total shots (18-12) and corner kicks (9-2). Thirty-five minutes into the game, Claudio Marchisio scored on a right-footed shot from outside the box to give Italy a 1-0 lead. England, however, would answer just two minutes later on a close shot by Daniel Sturridge. At the 50-minute mark in the game, Italy superstar Mario Balotelli scored on a header from the left side of the six-yard box to give his team a 2-1 lead. England was never able to tie it up from there. England, however, is more than capable of regrouping and making it to the knockout rounds, but that all must start with a win over a very talented Uruguay team.


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