Final, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-1: It’s over. Uruguay defeats Italy 1-0 and advances to the Round of 16.
For better or for worse, Group D’s final games played out like we expected them to. Costa Rica-England featured two teams whose fates were sealed before kickoff. Their matchup lacked purpose, sparkle and, of course, goals.
Costa Rica wins Group D in one of the tournament’s biggest shocks. England finishes at the bottom of the group.
Italy-Uruguay was cagey and contentious — a game between these teams could only be that way — and Uruguay came out on top. Marchisio’s red card was the turning point. Italy bunkered down with only ten men, while Uruguay went on the hunt for the game-winning goal. It came from Uruguay’s captain Godin, who is emerging as one of the top players so far in World Cup 2014.
Uruguay moves on to the Round of 16. Italy’s World Cup journey ends.
Here’s how the final Group D standings look.
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Costa Rica will play the second-place finisher in Group C. Uruguay will play the winner of Group C. Those matchups will be determined Tuesday when Colombia faces Japan and Ivory Coast takes on Greece.
That’s all for now and thanks for joining us. Let’s discuss this one on Twitter @NESNsoccer and Facebook. Be sure to keep an eye out for some news, fan reactions, analysis and opinion that is on the way on NESN.com.
90th minute, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-1: England-Costa Rica is over. It ended in a goalless draw, and Costa Rica wins Group D.
The fourth official indicates that there will be five minutes of added time in the second half in Italy-Uruguay. Italy is pressing for the game-tying goal.
80th minute, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-1: Diego Godin heads home a corner kick, and Uruguay has taken a giant step toward the knockout rounds.
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Uruguay substitute Gaston Ramirez swung a delivery into the Italy penalty area, and Godin rose above the fray and powerfully headed the ball past Buffon.
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Uruguay will knock Italy out of the World Cup if it can hold this lead.
Godin has scored some important goals in recent months.
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75th minute, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-0: Wayne Rooney has come on for England. Maybe he can help.
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73rd minute, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-0: England captain Steven Gerrard enters the game to a thunderous ovation from his country’s traveling fans.
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It could be Gerrard’s last game for England. The 34-year-old will decide whether he will continue his international career in a few weeks.
57th minute, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-0: Things are heating up in Costa-Rica England, too.
England’s Ross Barkley and Adam Lallana were cautioned in the 53rd and 57th minutes, respectively. Costa Rica’s Giancarlo Gonzalez then was cautioned in the 60th minute for a foul on Barkley.
Back in Italy-Uruguay, Buffon makes a stellar save on Suarez’s effort. The Uruguay superstar breached Italy’s back line and hit a left-footed shot from close range that the on-rushing Buffon turned away.
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Uruguay is going it for it now, replacing left fullback Alvaro Pereira with forward Cristhian Stuani.
55th minute, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-0: Italy midfielder Marchisio is sent off.
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Marchisio was dribbling in the midfield when he lost control of the ball and inexplicably made a high challenge to Arevalo’s knee.
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Italy is down to 10 men, and the Uruguayans can assert themselves in the last 40 minutes now that they have a man advantage.
Marchisio was dismissed a couple of minutes after Cristian Rodriguez failed to convert another good scoring chance for Uruguay.
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46th minute, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-0: Uruguay midfielder Egidio Arevalo is cautioned.
46th minute, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-0: The second halves of both games are underway.
Italy and Uruguay each made changes at halftime. Italy removed Balotelli and inserted midfielder Marco Parolo.
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Uruguay replaced Lodeiro with Maxi Pereira in an attack-minded substitution.
Halftime, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-0: It’s halftime in both games. We’re goalless in Group D.
After 45 minutes, the Group D standings look the same as they did at kickoff. Neither game has produced a goal, and Costa and Italy still will progress if these results hold.
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Italy-Uruguay has been the more competitive and fiery game. Italy has controlled possession but hasn’t created many scoring chances with it, as Uruguay is defending deep and looking to counter-attack through Suarez or his partner-in-crime Edinson Cavani.
Uruguay had the better goal-scoring opportunities in the first period. But Buffon demonstrated his enduring class by making the saves that are keeping Italy in the tournament.
England’s youngsters are matching up well against Costa Rica. The Three Lions have created a few scoring chances, and Sturridge will be disappointed not to have buried at least two opportunities.
Costa Rica is playing with the freedom that early qualification (for the Round of 16) provides. Although the Ticos are having trouble creating chances against England, they have shown in this tournament that they can score without creating too many.
44th minute, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-0: Italy wingback Matteo Darmian is down after colliding with an opponent on the sideline, but it looks like he can continue.
35th minute, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-0: Sturridge has another chance to open the scoring but he misses the target with his header.
Also, Costa Rica’s Bryan Ruiz did this not too long ago:
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33rd minute, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-0: Buffon comes up big once again. The Italy goalkeeper makes a double save on Suarez and Nicolas Lodeiro.
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33rd minute, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-0: Godin earns a measure of revenge on Balotelli.
Godin elbowed Balotelli in the back of the head during an aerial challenge, leaving the Italy striker on the ground in a heap.
23rd minute, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-0: Costa Rica defender Celso Borges hits a powerful free kick on goal, forcing England goalkeeper Ben Foster to tip it off the crossbar.
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In the other game, Italy’s Mario Balotelli has been cautioned for a Balotelli-esque foul on Uruguay fullback Alvaro Periera. Should Italy progress, Balotelli will miss the next game due to suspension.
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Check it out below.
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20th minute, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-0: Both games are goalless after 20 minutes.
England’s young, speedy lineup is causing Costa Rica a few problems, and Daniel Sturridge has had a pair of scoring chances — both of which went wide.
Meanwhile, Italy is stifling Luis Suarez so far but otherwise seizing control against Uruguay.
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13th minute, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-0: Italy’s midfield maestro Pirlo drives a free kick on target, but Uruguay goalkeeper Muslera parries it over the crossbar.
Seventh minute, Costa Rica-England 0-0; Italy-Uruguay 0-0: As expected, Italy-Uruguay has started faster and more competitive than its counterpart.
Italy goalkeeper Buffon already has been called into action, having made saves in the second and sixth minutes.
Kickoff: The anthems are done.
Here are the lineups:
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11:45 a.m. ET:Â Group D action at the 2014 FIFA World Cup concludes Tuesday when Costa Rica meets England and Italy faces Uruguay.
Costa Rica is providing the Cinderella story of the tournament so far. The Ticos won their first two games against Uruguay and Italy, clinching a spot in the knockout rounds for the first time since 1990. Costa Rica can win Group D with a draw against England.
England is going home after the Costa Rica game. The Three Lions lost to Italy and Uruguay last week, and their tournament will end in infamy after three games.
Italy and Uruguay have the most at stake. The teams are tied with three points, but Italy has a one-goal advantage in goal differential and will advance if the game ends in a draw. Uruguay will be playing for its tournament survival, while Italy will be playing to reach the next step — essentially, two teams doing what they historically do best.
We’ll follow the action from both games, giving live updates and analysis after major incidents.
The games kick off at noon. Join us right here for all the action from the final Group D games.
