World Cup 2014: Fallible England exposed and out

WORLD CUP 2014

Preview - Groups A-D - Groups E-H - Results
England v Italy - England v Uruguay - England v Costa Rica

Uruguay 2 Suarez 39, 84
England 1 Rooney 75

Uruguay Muslera - Gimenez, Godin, Caceres, Pereira - Lodeiro (Stuani 67), Gonzalez (Fucile 78), Arevalo Rios, Rodriguez - Cavani, Suarez (Coates 88) Booked Godin
England Hart - Baines, Cahill, Jagielka, Johnson - Gerrard, Henderson (Lambert 87) - Sterling (Barkley 64), Rooney, Welbeck (Lallana 71) - Sturridge Booked Gerrard
Attendance 62,575 at Arena de São Paulo Referee Carlos Velasco Carballo (Spain)
Kick-off 8pm BST. Live on ITV1.

ENGLAND made their earliest exit at a World Cup finals since 1958 after going down to a second 2-1 defeat, this time to Uruguay.

That result, coupled with Costa Rica's shock win over Italy this afternoon, has left the Three Lions bottom of Group D with two defeats out of two for the first time ever in World Cup history.

It was the familiar face of Luis Suarez who did the damage in Sao Paulo with a goal towards the end of both halves.

And so, ultimately, it really did not matter whether he was fully fit or not - the Liverpool man did not need to be, such was the sheer simplicity of his goals.

Both teams came into the match on the back of a loss in their opener, and it clearly showed in a nervy start.

Uruguay centre-back Diego Godin picked up an early booking for handball before Wayne Rooney sent the free-kick narrowly wide.

At the other end, Phil Jagielka horribly miscued a clearance and presented a good chance to Cristian Rodriguez - but then Godin was lucky to escape a second booking for a forearm smash on Daniel Sturridge.

Rooney went close again, hitting the post with a header - but, just a few minutes later, England were behind.

Captain Steven Gerrard lost the ball cheaply in midfield, as he did all night, before Edinson Cavani's cross eluded Gary Cahill and left Suarez to head past Joe Hart into the corner.

At the start of the second half, it could have got even worse as the English defence only just withstood a barrage of shots from the Uruguayans, with Cavani sliding the best chance wide.

But, gradually, as the half wore on, England began to get their foot on the ball without looking overly creative.

Indeed, the equaliser came rather out of the blue as right-back Glen Johnson escaped his marker and slid the ball across to the unmarked Rooney for a tap-in.

Could England complete the comeback - or should they just settle for a point and take it to the last game against Costa Rica?

Ultimately, neither happened - as, within 10 minutes of restoring parity, England were behind again, a long punt from Uruguay keeper Fernando Muslera being headed mistakenly behind by Gerrard.

Or, rather, we can only assume it was a mistake given that it landed perfectly for his Reds team-mate Suarez who finished with aplomb.

The last few minutes of the match saw England huff and puff without managing a single clear-cut effort - and so the fate of Roy Hodgson's men was left in the hands of the unreliable Italians.

Defeat for the Azzurri today against the impressive Group D leaders Costa Rica means England will be back in departures on an early flight home.

Meanwhile, also already heading for the airport are 2010 champions Spain following their dreadful defence of their title.

Still shell-shocked following their 5-1 defeat to Netherlands last Friday, La Roja found themselves 2-0 down to a hard-working and inventive Chile side at half time.

And, with no comeback in the second half, the Spanish thus became the fifth defending world champions - after Italy in 1950, Brazil in 1966, France in 2002, and Italy again in 2010 - to exit at the earliest possible stage of the following World Cup.

Chile's win in the Maracana also eliminated Australia - but the Socceroos can at least leave this tournament with their heads held high, given the difficulty of their group and the way they have gone about their task.

Indeed, the Aussies went toe-to-toe with the Dutch in their second match, and even took a 2-1 lead before going down fighting, though only in the figurative sense of course.

Amid an actual incident of fisticuffs, the fourth team so far to have exited at this early stage was Cameroon.

In a bizarre moment, Benoit Assou-Ekotto landed a headbutt on team-mate Benjamin Moukandjo as the Indomitable Lions proved anything like their nickname in going down to a 4-0 defeat to Croatia.

Sadly, this sort of loss does nothing to challenge the stereotypes about African football - their poor discipline and their naivety in defence badly letting them down.

In fact, the Cameroonians are now on a horrid streak of six successive World Cup finals losses, dating back to 2002. Hosts Brazil are next on their fixture list.

Not that the Brazilians have had it all their own way. Fortunate in their first match against Croatia, Luis Felipe Scolari's side were then held to a 0-0 draw against Mexico in their second game.

But this was a rare goalless contest in a World Cup which has continued to excite and fascinate.

In the lower half of the draw, France in Group E, Argentina in Group F, Germany in Group G and Belgium in Group H have all got off to winning starts.

Argentine talisman Lionel Messi scored his first World Cup goal since 2006 after a sublime one-two with Gonzalo Higuain, while Thomas Muller went top of the scoring charts with a hat-trick for Germany against ten-men Portugal.

The Belgians, meanwhile, returned to World Cup action for the first time in 12 years - but required stunning comeback goals from Marouane Fellani and Dries Mertens to overturn Algeria's surprise lead.

In a testament to this delightful tournament, though, the Diables Rouges' win was, in fact, the sixth comeback of the tournament following similar turnarounds by Brazil, Netherlands, Ivory Coast, Costa Rica and Switzerland.

But, England - who actually did the hard work of getting level in both of their matches - could not join this list... and, realistically, never looked like doing so.

It leaves the Three Lions playing for pride only in their third group match for the first time ever. Let us hope they have some.

ENGLAND AT THE WORLD CUP
1930-1938 Did not enter
1950 Group stage
1954 Quarter finals
1958 Group stage
1962 Quarter finals
1966 Champions
1970 Quarter finals
1974-1978 Did not qualify
1982 Second group stage
1986 Quarter finals
1990 Semi finals
1994 Did not qualify
1998 Last 16
2002 Quarter finals
2006 Quarter finals
2010 Last 16
2014 Group stage

World Cup 2014: Stay positive, England

WORLD CUP 2014

Preview - Groups A-D - Groups E-H - Results sheet

  

England 1 Sturridge 37
Italy 2 Marchisio 35, Balotelli 50

England Hart - Johnson, Baines, Cahill, Jagielka - Henderson (Wilshere 73), Gerrard (c), Sterling, Welbeck (Barkley 61), Rooney - Sturridge (Lallana 80) Booked Sterling
Italy Sirigu - Chiellini, Barzagli, Paletta, Darmian - De Rossi, Verratti (Motta 57), Pirlo (c), Marchisio, Candreva (Parolo 79) - Balotelli (Immobile 73)
Attendance 39,800 at Arena da Amazonia, Manaus Referee Bjorn Kuipers (Netherlands)
Kick-off 11pm BST. Live on BBC One.

ENGLAND lost a World Cup opener for the first time since 1986 - but there were plenty of positives to take from the 2-1 defeat to Italy at the Arena da Amazonia in Manaus.

Mario Balotelli converted Antonio Candreva's cross early in the second half to settle an engaging contest in favour of the Italians.

And, with three points in the bag, the Azzurri will already be looking towards the knockout stages.

But Roy Hodgson's Three Lions can still join them there if they stick to the pass and move principles which were on show last night.

Indeed, there are a few statistics which show that, for once after a World Cup defeat, the mood in the country needn't be so gloomy...

Of the 16 teams we have seen so far, England have had more shots than any of them.

Even more stunning, though, is the fact that England's passing accuracy ranks second, just behind Italy - but ahead of Spain, Netherlands and Brazil.

Yes - for a country that has traditionally struggled to keep the ball in major tournaments, this new-look team appears to be bucking the trend.

However, it would be folly not to recognise that there are still certain weaknesses in this England side.

The back-line of Glen Johnson, Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines almost picks itself - but, in the absence of Ashley Cole and John Terry, this is more down to lack of alternatives than anything else.

Baines, at left-back, was left exposed by Candreva for Balotelli's winner - and the whole left-hand side was a point of weakness all night with Wayne Rooney failing to provide adequate cover.

That opens the question, of course, of whether Rooney should be playing there in the first place as, except for the sumptuous ball curled into Daniel Sturridge for the equaliser, the Manchester United man was somewhat on the periphery of the action.

It was perhaps a reason why he snatched at a glorious late chance for a second equaliser which could have brought the draw England richly deserved.

But, despite the defeat, Hodgson's men did enough to suggest they can still get through.

After all, the group was thrown wide open earlier in the day when minnows Costa Rica beat Uruguay 3-1 in another thrilling match in this brilliant World Cup.

Uruguay, semi finalists four years ago, took the lead through Edinson Cavani's penalty after a foul on Diego Lugano, and it looked as if the absence of Luis Suarez through injury was going to be easily dealt with.

The Costa Ricans, however, were never out of it and a stunning burst of two goals shortly after half time from Joel Campbell and Oscar Duarte put them into the lead.

Late on, Los Ticos completed the job as Marco Urena slid the ball past Uruguayan keeper Fernando Muslera with an inch-perfect finish.

Opening on Thursday, this exciting tournament also began with a 3-1 win for the hosts,Brazil, against Croatia. Neymar scored twice but his second, a penalty, was a highly contentious decision.

Indeed, Croatian goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa got a bigger hand on the shot by Neymar than what had been put on the Brazilian to win the spot kick in the first place, and he really should have saved it.

On the second day, the poor refereeing continued as Mexico were denied a two-goal half-time lead against Cameroon after having two goals incorrectly chalked off for offside.

There was justice, then, for the Mexicans when Oribe Peralta slid in the rebound to Giovani Dos Santos' shot for the only goal of the game.

All the other matches have had at least three goals as the tournament happily trundles on with the healthy average so far of 3.5 goals per game.

Of course, that average was helped on Friday night by a stunning performance by Netherlands against defending champions Spain, a repeat of the 2010 final.

Everything seemed totally normal as the Spanish headed towards half-time following Xabi Alonso's penalty - but then came a wonderful swallow dive from Robin van Persie as he headed in an equaliser.

The goal seemed to have shocked the Spanish to the core - or perhaps it was the relentless Dutch attacking from van Persie and Arjen Robben.

In the end, two goals from each - and one from Stefan De Vrij off a corner made it 5-1 - but it could have been even more with van Persie hitting the bar with cracking strike and Spain's defence and goalkeeper Iker Casillas looking a total mess.

Revenge was particularly sweet for the Dutch who have looked the best of the contenders in these early stages in Brazil.

The other match in the group - Chile v Australia - did go as expected, with a Chilean win - but this was still an entertaining game as the Chileans raced into a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes.

After effectively suffering from stage fright, the Socceroos were put back into the game from absolutely nowhere through a typical header from Tim Cahill. But, no matter how hard they tried, the Aussies just could not force an equaliser.

In Group C yesterday, Colombia made a welcome return to the World Cup for the first time in 16 years with an easy 3-0 win over a familiarly unadventurous Greece.

And, through the night, Ivory Coast overturned a shock Japan lead to win 2-1 through two goals in as many minutes from Swansea City's Wilfried Bony and then Gervinho.

By then, most of England was tucked up in bed, disappointed that the Three Lions' visit to the Amazon jungle had ended in defeat.

England are down but they are not yet out - and playing the vulnerable Uruguayans next is a great chance to get off the mark.

That match, played in Brazil's biggest city, Sao Paulo, kicks off at 8pm BST. Live coverage will be provided by ITV.

World Cup 2014 - Complete results sheet

GROUP A Brazil and Mexico qualify

Thu 12-Jun	BRAZIL	3-1	CROATIA	Sao Paulo
9pm ITV	Neymar 29, 71(pen) Oscar 90+1		Marcelo (og) 11
Fri 13-Jun	MEXICO	1-0	CAMEROON	Natal
5pm ITV	Peralta 61
Tue 17-Jun	BRAZIL	0-0	MEXICO	Fortaleza
8pm BBC
Wed 18-Jun	CAMEROON	0-4	CROATIA	Manaus
11pm ITV			Olic 11, Perisic 48  Mandzukic 61, 73
Mon 23-Jun	CAMEROON	1-4	BRAZIL	Brasilia
9pm ITV	Matip 26		Neymar 17, 35 Fred 49, Fernandinho 84
Mon 23-Jun	CROATIA	1-3	MEXICO	Recife
9pm ITV	Perisic 87		Marquez 72, Guardado 75 Hernandez 82

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) BRAZIL	2	1	0	7	2	7
(Q) MEXICO	2	1	0	4	1	7
Croatia	1	0	2	6	6	3
Cameroon	0	0	3	1	9	0

GROUP B Netherlands and Chile qualify

Fri 13-Jun	SPAIN	1-5	NETHERLANDS	Salvador
8pm BBC	Alonso 27(pen)		Van Persie 43, 72 Robben 53, 80, De Vrij 64
Fri 13-Jun	CHILE	3-1	AUSTRALIA	Cuiaba
11pm ITV	Sanchez 12, Valdivia 14 Beausejour 90+2		Cahill 35
Wed 18-Jun	SPAIN	0-2	CHILE	Rio de Janeiro
8pm BBC			Vargas 20, Aranguiz 43
Wed 18-Jun	AUSTRALIA	2-3	NETHERLANDS	Porto Alegre
5pm ITV	Cahill 21 Jedinak 54(pen)		Robben 20, Van Persie 58 Depay 68
Mon 23-Jun	AUSTRALIA	0-3	SPAIN	Curitiba
5pm ITV			Villa 36, Torres 69  Mata 82
Mon 23-Jun	NETHERLANDS	2-0	CHILE	Sao Paulo
5pm ITV	Fer 77, Depay 90

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) NETHERLANDS	3	0	0	10	3	9
(Q) CHILE	2	0	1	5	3	6
Spain	1	0	2	4	7	3
Australia	0	0	3	3	9	0

GROUP C Colombia and Greece qualify

Sat 14-Jun	COLOMBIA	3-0	GREECE	Belo Horizonte
5pm BBC	Armero 5, Gutierrez 58 Rodriguez 90+3
Sun 15-Jun	IVORY COAST	2-1	JAPAN	Recife
2am ITV	Bony 64, Gervinho 66		Honda 16
Thu 19-Jun	COLOMBIA	2-1	IVORY COAST	Brasilia
5pm BBC	Rodriguez 64, Quintero 70		Gervinho 73
Thu 19-Jun	JAPAN	0-0	GREECE	Natal
11pm BBC
Tue 24-Jun	JAPAN	1-4	COLOMBIA	Cuiaba
9pm BBC	Okazaki 45+1		Cuadrado 17(pen) Martinez  55, 83 Rodriguez 89
Tue 24-Jun	GREECE	2-1	IVORY COAST	Fortaleza
9pm BBC	Samaris 42, Samaras 90+3		Bony 74

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) COLOMBIA	3	0	0	9	2	9
(Q) GREECE	1	1	1	2	4	4
Ivory Coast	1	0	2	4	5	3
Japan	0	1	2	2	6	1

GROUP D Costa Rica and Uruguay qualify

Sat 14-Jun	URUGUAY	1-3	COSTA RICA	Fortaleza
8pm ITV	Cavani 24(pen)		Campbell 54, Duarte 57 Urena 84
Sat 14-Jun	ENGLAND	1-2	ITALY	Manaus
11pm BBC	Sturridge 37		Marchisio 35, Balotelli 50
Thu 19-Jun	URUGUAY	2-1	ENGLAND	Sao Paulo
8pm ITV	Suarez 39, 84		Rooney 75
Fri 20-Jun	ITALY	0-1	COSTA RICA	Recife
5pm BBC			Ruiz 44
Tue 24-Jun	ITALY	0-1	URUGUAY	Natal
5pm ITV			Godin 81
Tue 24-Jun	COSTA RICA	0-0	ENGLAND	Belo Horizonte
5pm ITV

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) COSTA RICA	2	1	0	4	1	7
(Q) URUGUAY	2	0	1	4	4	6
Italy	1	0	2	2	3	3
England	0	1	2	2	4	1

GROUP E France and Switzerland qualify

Sun 15-Jun	SWITZERLAND	2-1	ECUADOR	Brasilia
5pm ITV	Mehmedi 48, Seferovic 90+3		E Valencia 22
Sun 15-Jun	FRANCE	3-0	HONDURAS	Porto Alegre
8pm BBC	Benzema 45(pen), 72 Valladares (og) 48
Fri 20-Jun	SWITZERLAND	2-5	FRANCE	Salvador
8pm ITV	Dzemaili 81, Xhaka 87		Giroud 17, Matuidi 18 Valbuena 40, Benzema 67 Sissoko 73
Fri 20-Jun	HONDURAS	1-2	ECUADOR	Curitiba
11pm ITV	Costly 31		E Valencia 33, 65
Wed 25-Jun	HONDURAS	0-3	SWITZERLAND	Manaus
9pm BBC			Shaqiri 6, 31, 71
Wed 25-Jun	ECUADOR	0-0	FRANCE	Rio de Janeiro
9pm BBC

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) FRANCE	2	1	0	8	2	7
(Q) SWITZERLAND	2	0	1	7	6	6
Ecuador	1	1	1	3	3	4
Honduras	0	0	3	1	8	0

 
GROUP F Argentina and Nigeria qualify

Sun 15-Jun	ARGENTINA	2-1	BOSNIA-HERZ	Rio de Janeiro
11pm BBC	Kolasinac (og) 3 Messi 65		Ibisevic 85
Mon 16-Jun	IRAN	0-0	NIGERIA	Curitiba
8pm BBC
Sat 21-Jun	ARGENTINA	1-0	IRAN	Belo Horizonte
5pm ITV	Messi 90+1
Sat 21-Jun	NIGERIA	1-0	BOSNIA-HERZ	Cuiaba
11pm BBC	Odemwingie 29
Wed 25-Jun	NIGERIA	2-3	ARGENTINA	Porto Alegre
5pm ITV	Musa 4, 47		Messi 3, 45+1, Rojo 50
Wed 25-Jun	BOSNIA-HERZ	3-1	IRAN	Salvador
5pm ITV	Dzeko 23, Pjanic 59 Vrsajevic 83		Ghoochannejhad 82

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) ARGENTINA	3	0	0	6	3	9
(Q) NIGERIA	1	1	1	3	3	4
Bosnia-Herzegovina	1	0	2	4	4	3
Iran	0	1	2	1	4	1

GROUP G Germany and United States qualify

Mon 16-Jun	GERMANY	4-0	PORTUGAL	Salvador
5pm ITV	Muller 12(pen), 45+1, 78 Hummels 32
Mon 16-Jun	GHANA	1-2	UNITED STATES	Natal
11pm BBC	A Ayew 82		Dempsey 1, Brooks 86
Sat 21-Jun	GERMANY	2-2	GHANA	Fortaleza
8pm BBC	Gotze 51, Klose 71		A Ayew 54, Gyan 63
Sun 22-Jun	UNITED STATES	2-2	PORTUGAL	Manaus
11pm BBC	Jones 64, Dempsey 81		Nani 5, Varela 90+5
Thu 26-Jun	UNITED STATES	0-1	GERMANY	Recife
5pm BBC			Muller 55
Thu 26-Jun	PORTUGAL	2-1	GHANA	Brasilia
5pm BBC	Boye (og) 31, Ronaldo 80		Gyan 57

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) GERMANY	2	1	0	7	3	7
(Q) UNITED STATES	1	1	1	4	4	4
Portugal	1	1	1	4	7	4
Ghana	0	1	2	4	6	1

GROUP H Belgium and Algeria qualify

Tue 17-Jun	BELGIUM	2-1	ALGERIA	Belo Horizonte
5pm ITV	Fellaini 70, Mertens 80		Feghouli 25(pen)
Tue 17-Jun	RUSSIA	1-1	SOUTH KOREA	Cuiaba
11pm BBC	Kerzhakov 74		Keun-ho 68
Sun 22-Jun	BELGIUM	1-0	RUSSIA	Rio de Janeiro
5pm BBC	Origi 88
Sun 22-Jun	SOUTH KOREA	2-4	ALGERIA	Porto Alegre
8pm ITV	Son 49, Koo 72		Slimani 26, Halliche 28 Djabou 38, Brahimi 62
Thu 26-Jun	SOUTH KOREA	0-1	BELGIUM	Sao Paulo
9pm ITV			Vertonghen 77
Thu 26-Jun	ALGERIA	1-1	RUSSIA	Curitiba
9pm ITV	Slimani 59		Kokorin 6

	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
(Q) BELGIUM	3	0	0	4	1	9
(Q) ALGERIA	1	1	1	6	5	4
Russia	0	2	1	2	3	2
South Korea	0	1	2	3	6	1

LAST 16

Sat 28-Jun	BRAZIL	1-1	CHILE	Belo Horizonte
5pm BBC	David Luiz 18	aet (3-2pens)	Sanchez 32
Sat 28-Jun	COLOMBIA	2-0	URUGUAY	Rio de Janeiro
9pm ITV	Rodriguez 28, 50
Sun 29-Jun	NETHERLANDS	2-1	MEXICO	Fortaleza
5pm ITV	Sneijder 88 Huntelaar 90+4(pen)		Dos Santos 48
Sun 29-Jun	COSTA RICA	1-1	GREECE	Recife
9pm ITV	Ruiz 52	aet (5-3pens)	Papastathopoulos 90+1
Mon 30-Jun	FRANCE	2-0	NIGERIA	Brasilia
5pm BBC	Pogba 79 Yobo (og) 90+2
Mon 30-Jun	GERMANY	2-1	ALGERIA	Porto Alegre
9pm ITV	Schuerrle 92, Oezil 120	aet	Djabou 120+1
Tue 01-Jul	ARGENTINA	1-0	SWITZERLAND	Sao Paulo
5pm BBC	Di Maria 118	aet
Tue 01-Jul	BELGIUM	2-1	UNITED STATES	Salvador
9pm BBC	De Bruyne 93 Lukaku 105	aet	Green 107

QUARTER FINALS

Fri 04-Jul	FRANCE	0-1	GERMANY	Rio de Janeiro
5pm BBC			Hummels 13
Fri 04-Jul	BRAZIL	2-1	COLOMBIA	Fortaleza
9pm ITV	Thiago Silva 7 David Luiz 69		Rodriguez 80 (pen)
Sat 05-Jul	ARGENTINA	1-0	BELGIUM	Brasilia
5pm ITV	Higuain 8
Sat 05-Jul	NETHERLANDS	0-0	COSTA RICA	Salvador
9pm BBC		aet (4-3pens)

SEMI FINALS

Tue 08-Jul	BRAZIL	1-7 (SEVEN)	GERMANY	Belo Horizonte
9pm BBC	Oscar 90		Muller 11, Klose 23 Kroos 24, 26 Khedira 29 Schuerrle 69, 79
Wed 09-Jul	NETHERLANDS	0-0 aet  (2-4pens)	ARGENTINA	Sao Paulo
9pm ITV

SCORERS
6 James Rodriguez (Colombia)
5 Thomas Muller (Germany) 
4 Neymar (Brazil), Lionel Messi (Argentina)
3 Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Robin Van Persie (Netherlands), Karim Benzema (France), Enner Valencia (Ecuador), Xherdan Shaqiri (Switzerland), Andre Schuerrle (Germany)
2 Tim Cahill (Australia), Mario Mandzukic (Croatia), Gervinho (Ivory Coast), Luis Suarez (Uruguay), Andre Ayew (Ghana), Clint Dempsey (United States), Memphis Depay (Netherlands), Ivan Perisic (Croatia), Wilfried Bony (Ivory Coast), Jackson Martinez (Colombia), Ahmed Musa (Nigeria), Asamoah Gyan (Ghana), Islam Slimani (Algeria), Alexis Sanchez (Chile), Bryan Ruiz (Costa Rica), Abdelmoumene Djabou (Algeria), Mats Hummels (Germany), David Luiz (Brazil), Miroslav Klose (Germany), Toni Kroos (Germany), Mario Gotze (Germany)
1 Oscar (Brazil), Oribe Peralta (Mexico), Xabi Alonso (Spain), Stefan De Vrij (Netherlands), Jorge Valdivia (Chile), Tim Cahill (Australia), Jean Beausejour (Chile), Pablo Armero (Colombia), Teofilo Gutierrez (Colombia), Edinson Cavani (Uruguay), Joel Campbell (Costa Rica), Oscar Duarte (Costa Rica), Marco Urena (Costa Rica), Claudio Marchisio (Italy), Daniel Sturridge (England), Mario Balotelli (Italy), Keisuke Honda (Japan), Admir Mehmedi (Switzerland), Haris Seferovic (Switzerland), Vedad Ibisevic (Bosnia-Herzegovina), John Brooks (United States), Sofiane Feghouli (Algeria), Marouane Fellaini (Belgium), Dries Mertens (Belgium), Lee Keun-ho (South Korea), Aleksandr Kerzhakov (Russia), Mile Jedinak (Australia), Eduardo Vargas (Chile), Charles Aranguiz (Chile), Ivica Olic (Croatia), Juan Quintero (Colombia), Wayne Rooney (England), Olivier Giroud (France), Blaise Matuidi (France), Mathieu Valbuena (France), Moussa Sissoko (France), Blerim Dzemaili (Switzerland), Granit Xhaka (Switzerland), Carlo Costly (Honduras), Peter Odemwingie (Nigeria), Divock Origi (Belgium), Rafik Halliche (Algeria), Son Heung-min (South Korea), Yacine Brahimi (Algeria), Koo Ja-cheol (South Korea), Nani (Portugal), Jermaine Jones (United States), Silvestre Varela (Portugal), David Villa (Spain), Fernando Torres (Spain), Juan Mata (Spain), Leroy Fer (Netherlands), Fred (Brazil), Rafael Marquez (Mexico), Andres Guardado (Mexico), Javier Hernandez (Mexico), Fernandinho (Brazil), Diego Godin (Uruguay), Juan Cuadrado (Colombia), Andreas Samaris (Greece), Shinji Okazaki (Japan), Georgios Samaras (Greece), Edin Dzeko (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Marcos Rojo (Argentina), Miralem Pjanic (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Reza Ghoochannejhad (Iran), Avdija Vrsajevic (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal), Aleksandr Kokorin (Russia), Jan Vertonghen (Belgium), Giovani Dos Santos (Mexico), Wesley Sneijder (Netherlands), Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (Netherlands), Sokratis Papastathopoulos (Greece), Paul Pogba (France), Mesut Oezil (Germany), Angel Di Maria (Argentina), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium), Romelu Lukaku (Belgium), Julian Green (United States), Thiago Silva (Brazil), Gonzalo Higuain (Argentina), Sami Khedira (Germany), Danny Blind (Netherlands), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands)
5 Own goals - Marcelo (Brazil) for Croatia, Noel Valladares (Honduras) for France, Sead Kolasinac (Bosnia-Herzegovina) for Argentina, John Boye (Ghana) for Portugal, Joseph Yobo (Nigeria) for France

RED CARDS
Maxi Pereira (Uruguay) v Costa Rica
Wilson Palacios (Honduras) v France 
Pepe (Portugal) v Germany
Alex Song (Cameroon) v Croatia
Kostas Katouranis (Greece) v Japan
Ante Rebic (Croatia) v Mexico
Claudio Marchisio (Italy) v Uruguay
Antonio Valencia (Ecuador) v France
Steven Defour (Belgium) v Algeria
Oscar Duarte (Costa Rica) v Greece

Maracanazo redemption and la joga bonito

WORLD CUP 2014

A-D Preview - E-H Preview - Results sheet

ENGLAND may have invented modern day football, but it is said that the Brazilians perfected it. That is why this World Cup is surely going to be the most special of all time.

Brazil has been aching for another chance at hosting the World Cup since the very day after its first one ended.

And that is because it ended, 64 years ago, with the Maracanazo - a word which no doubt still sends a shiver down the spine of any Brazilian old enough to remember it.

It was Brazil's first appearance in a World Cup final. But, roared on by a home crowd of almost 200,000 in the Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro, the hosts were expected to win against their fellow South Americans, Uruguay.

The final indeed began as the form book had predicted with Brazil on the front foot and the Uruguayans defending.

Nevertheless, it took until two minutes after half time for Brazil to take the lead when Friaça hit a low shot past the goalkeeper.

There had been some controversy to the goal, though, with Uruguayan captain Obdulio Varela claiming Friaça had been offside.

Valera dragged out his argument, with the English referee George Reader even seeking the assistance of an interpreter - and, by the time the game resumed, the noisy crowd was rather more settled.

Gradually, Uruguay began to take control of the game and, realising Brazil's biggest weakness was its defence, they went on the attack.

The equaliser came on 66 minutes when Juan Alberto Schiaffino converted Alcides Ghiggia's centre - and then, with 11 minutes left, came the winner from Ghiggia himself.

The remainder of the game was played out in almost complete silence, the Brazilian crowd unable to believe quite what was happening.

Indeed, so ingrained was the memory of the eerie atmosphere, that match-winner Ghiggia later commented: "Only three people have ever silenced 200,000 people at the Maracanã with a single gesture: Frank Sinatra, John Paul II and me."

It was a national disaster for Brazil, matched only by the death of three-time Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna years later in 1994.

Brazilian playwright Nelson Rodrigues explained later exactly what the Maracanazo meant to his country: "Everywhere has its irremediable national catastrophe, something like Hiroshima.

"Our catastrophe, our Hiroshima, was the defeat by Uruguay in 1950."

Former FIFA president and originator of the World Cup, Jules Rimet, had said at the time: "The silence was morbid, sometimes too difficult to bear."

And that was in fact the case, with some supporters even committing suicide. Yes, while football should never be more important than life or death, on that occasion it clearly, sadly was.

Even still now, the final is repeatedly revisited with a morbid sense of fascination.

As writer Alex Bellos notes in his excellent read Futebol: The Brazilian Way of Life, "The match has spawned a thriving literary genre", including a best-seller in Brazil by Paulo Perdigão called Anatomia de uma Derrota ('The Anatomy of Defeat').

But, the pain of the Maracanazo is more than a few books - it has affected the nation's psyche, as Bellos goes onto explain.

"Unable to admit that maybe Uruguay were a better team, the idea emerged it was somehow deserved - that the Brazilians were naturally a defeated people," he writes.

"A victory would have vindicated Brazil's national optimism and euphoria. The defeat reinforced a sense of inferiority and shame."

Of course, there has already been some redemption - plenty of it, in fact.

Brazil, the only country to play at every single World Cup, has since become the competition's most successful competitor with five wins, including three in 12 years between 1958 and 1970.

It also produced a team in 1982, considered alongside Hungary in 1954 and the Netherlands in 1974, as the best never to win the World Cup.

But that failure 32 years ago could not be compared to the Maracanazo. For a start, the defeat to eventual champions Italy was abroad and it also came in spite of the Brazilians sticking to its principle of la joga bonito.

La joga bonito is what Pele calls 'The Beautiful Game' - and, certainly, the Brazil sides of the Pele era played it, with the 1970 success culminating in perhaps the greatest World Cup goal of time by Carlos Alberto.

Although, by contrast, the 1982 campaign would end in defeat to an Italian side inspired by a Paulo Rossi hat-trick, the team featuring Socrates, Zico and Falcao are still very much admired.

Bellos writes: "Despite its failure to win a title, the Class of 82 is remembered more fondly than any other since 1970 - much more, unquestionably, than the 1994 champions when victory was bittersweet since the team played defensively and won on penalties."

"In 1982, Brazil were Braziiiil; they looked like they played for pure enjoyment."

Hopefully, we will get to see some of that this summer, for only an unlikely England victory would please me more than watching Brazil indulge properly in la joga bonita.

It seems unlikely to come to pass, however - not while Luis Felipe Scolari is coach, at least.

That is not to say that Scolari will not be successful - after all, he has already won the World Cup with Brazil in 2002.

But Scolari, perhaps understandably in the modern day, favours a pragmatic approach of getting results by defending from the front rather than just allowing his attackers to find their own way.

Of course, with players like Neymar and Oscar in the team, there will surely be flashes of brilliance.

However, Scolari's sole concern will be that, whatever happens, the team produces enough to win a sixth world title.

After all, the thought of him allowing another Maracanazo - to Lionel Messi and Argentina or to Luis Suarez and Uruguay again... put simply, is actually unthinkable.

WORLD CUP: ROLL OF HONOUR

	Hosts	Winners				Top scorer(s)
1930	Uruguay	URUGUAY	4-2	ARGENTINA		Stabile (8)
1934	Italy	ITALY	2-1	CZECHOSLOVAKIA	aet	Nejedlý (5)
1938	France	ITALY	4-2	HUNGARY		Leônidas (7)
1950	Brazil	URUGUAY	2-1	BRAZIL		Ademir (8)
1954	Switzerland	WEST GERMANY	3-2	HUNGARY		Kocsis (11)
1958	Sweden	BRAZIL	5-2	SWEDEN		Fontaine (13)
1962	Chile	BRAZIL	3-1	CZECHOSLOVAKIA		Garrincha, Vava, Sanchez, Jerkovic,  Albert, Ivanov (4 each)
1966	England	ENGLAND	4-2	WEST GERMANY	aet	Eusebio (9)
1970	Mexico	BRAZIL	4-1	ITALY		Muller (10)
1974	West Germany	WEST GERMANY	2-1	NETHERLANDS		Lato (7)
1978	Argentina	ARGENTINA	3-1	NETHERLANDS	aet	Kempes (6)
1982	Spain	ITALY	3-1	WEST GERMANY		Rossi (6)
1986	Mexico	ARGENTINA	3-2	WEST GERMANY		Lineker (6)
1990	Italy	WEST GERMANY	1-0	ARGENTINA		Schillachi (6)
1994	United States	BRAZIL	0-0	ITALY	aet. 3-2 on pens	Stoichkov, Salenko (6)
1998	France	FRANCE	3-0	BRAZIL		Suker (6)
2002	Korea/Japan	BRAZIL	2-0	GERMANY		Ronaldo (8)
2006	Germany	ITALY	1-1	FRANCE	aet. 5-3 on pens	Klose (5)
2010	South Africa	SPAIN	1-0	NETHERLANDS	aet	Forlan, Muller, Sneijder, Villa (5 each)

World Cup 2014 Preview - Part I

GROUP A BRAZIL + CROATIA + MEXICO + CAMEROON

	Fixtures		Venue
ITV	9pm Thu 12 June	BRAZIL v CROATIA	Sao Paulo
ITV	5pm Fri 13 June	MEXICO v CAMEROON	Natal
BBC	8pm Tue 17 June	BRAZIL v MEXICO	Fortaleza
ITV	11pm Wed 18 June	CAMEROON v CROATIA	Manaus
ITV	9pm Mon 23 June	CAMEROON v BRAZIL	Brasilia
ITV	9pm Mon 23 June	CROATIA v MEXICO	Recife

BRAZIL FIFA World ranking 3 - Odds 3/1 fav - Squad
Coach: Luis Felipe Scolari (since November 2012)
World Cup best: Winners 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002
Last appearance: Quarter finals in 2010
How they qualified: Host nation status
Recent form: W4-0 v Panama, W1-0 v Serbia
Favourites, hosts, record five-time winners - but Brazil will need to take a deep breath ahead of this summer. After all, potentially the Brazilians' biggest opponents will be the pressure which they put themselves under - although they should be able to ease into this tournament, given this kindly group draw. Straightaway in the knockout stages, though, the difficulty will step up a notch with defending champions Spain or the runners-up from four years ago, Netherlands, lying in wait as early as the Last 16. Not that Brazil need to fear the former after an easy 3-0 victory over the Spanish in the final of the Confederations Cup last year in which, hearteningly for the hosts, two of the expected front three - Fred and Neymar - grabbed the goals. Against that, Brazil must overturn the fact no previous Confederations Cup winners have gone on to win the following World Cup - although it is likely to be earlier past history, and the shadow of the Maracanazo, which looms largest. Scolari, of course, has been here before, winning the World Cup with A Seleção in 2002 - and, if his strikers start confidently and twinkle-toes Oscar contributes from midfield, a sixth title amid a carnival atmosphere will be there for the taking.
Prediction: Winners

CROATIA FIFA World ranking 18 - Odds 150/1 - Squad
Coach: Niko Kovac (since October 2013)
World Cup best: Semi finals 1998
Last appearance: Group stage 2006
How they qualified: Won 2-0 on agg v Iceland (0-0a, 2-0h) after finishing runners-up in UEFA Group A (W5 D2 L3 F12 A9)
Recent form: W2-1 v Mali, W1-0 v Australia
In danger of missing out on a second successive World Cup after falling off the Belgians' hot pace in qualifying, something had to give - and the decision was made to dismiss the former Derby County and West Ham defender Igor Stimac and replace him with Niko Kovac. Immediately, the change in coach paid dividends as Hrvatski comfortably beat surprise package Iceland in the playoffs - and then came a largely positive reaction to the finals draw. Despite featuring Brazil in the opening game just as it did in 2006, this group gives Croatia a real opportunity of making it to the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time since their extraordinary run to the semi finals on debut in 1998. Little will be expected from the opener - but, if Croatia can get better of Cameroon as expected, the third game against Mexico could be set up to be a decider.
Prediction: Last 16

MEXICO FIFA World ranking 20 - Odds 150/1 - Squad
Coach: Miguel Herrera (since October 2013 )
World Cup best: Quarter finals 1970, 1986
Last appearance: Last 16 in 2010
How they qualified: Won 9-3 on agg v New Zealand (5-1h, 4-2a) after finishing fourth in North-Central American qualifying (W2 D5 L3 F7 A9)
Recent form: W3-0 v Israel, W3-1 v Ecuador, L0-1 v Bosnia-Herzegovina, L0-1 v Portugal
All the talk in football-mad Mexico is of El Tri playing an elusive fifth game at the World Cup finals following five successive exits at the Last 16 stage. Indeed, outside of their two home World Cups in 1970 and 1986, Mexico have never reached the quarter finals. The truth is, however, that this Mexican team will do well even just to get through the group having been forced into a playoff against New Zealand after finishing fourth out of six in qualifying. The campaign was a complete mess, featuring just two wins and seven goals in 10 games, and with just one win out five at the fortress Azteca coming against Panama. Essentially playing for one spot in the knockout stages behind Brazil, Mexico's chances of a top-two place have already been halved - and, rather than a place in the last eight, the passionate Mexican support may have to come to terms with a first group stage exit since 1978.
Prediction: Group stage

CAMEROON FIFA World ranking 56 - Odds 1000/1 - Squad
Coach: Volker Finke (since May 2013)
World Cup best: Quarter finals 1990
Last appearance: Group stage in 2010
How they qualified: Won 4-1 on agg v Tunisia (0-0a, 4-1h) after winning African Group I (W4 D1 L1 F8 A3)
Recent form: W2-0 v FYR Macedonia, L1-2 v Paraguay, D2-2 v Germany, W1-0 v Moldova
Cameroon are making a record seventh appearance at the World Cup for an African side - but the Indomitable Lions' best days at the finals are now fully a generation ago. It was 1990 when a Roger Milla-inspired team went out in extra time to England in the quarter finals - and, though still a joint record for the furthest an African team has progressed at the World Cup along with Senegal and Ghana, the latter two countries both enjoyed their success within the last 12 years. In the meantime, Cameroon have won just a single game in failing to get out of the group in their last four appearances, and it would be a surprise if they did any better this time. In fact, it has already started to fall apart with the players threatening not to travel to Brazil in a row over bonuses and their best player, Samuel Eto'o accusing his team-mates of not passing to him. Good luck, Volker Finke.
Prediction: Group stage

GROUP B SPAIN + NETHERLANDS + CHILE + AUSTRALIA

	Fixtures		Venue
BBC	8pm Fri 13 June	SPAIN v NETHERLANDS	Salvador
ITV	11pm Fri 13 June	CHILE v AUSTRALIA	Cuiaba
BBC	8pm Wed 18 June	SPAIN v CHILE	Rio de Janeiro
ITV	5pm Wed 18 June	NETHERLANDS v AUSTRALIA	Porto Alegre
ITV	5pm Mon 23 June	AUSTRALIA v SPAIN	Curitiba
ITV	5pm Mon 23 June	NETHERLANDS v CHILE	Sao Paulo

SPAIN FIFA World ranking 1 - Odds 13/2 - Squad
Coach: Vicente del Bosque (since July 2008)
World Cup best: Winners 2010
Last appearance: Winners in 2010
How they qualified: Winners of UEFA Group I (W6 D2 L0 F14 A3)
Recent form: W2-0 v Bolivia, W2-0 v El Salvador
Is the golden age of Spanish football coming to an end? Maybe not, if the results of European club football this season is anything to go by, but it would still be a phenomenal achievement if Spain pulled off a fourth successive major tournament win, especially with this one being on South American soil. After all, La Roja have relied on tight margins to keep their success going - and, while they thoroughly deserved a first World Cup win four years ago, it was notable that all four of their knockout games finished 1-0. Similarly, though they eventually won 4-0 in the final against Italy, Vicente del Bosque's men were given a scare in the group phase of Euro 2012 by Croatia before winning, again just by a single, late goal. Of course, the 1-0 occurrence is far too common for it to be a fluke and Spain's tiki-taka game is entirely set up to suffocate the opposition with possession once a lead is achieved. But so regularly playing for single goal leads leaves Spain simply too vulnerable to misfortune - or an inspired opposition performance.
Prediction: Quarter finals

NETHERLANDS FIFA World ranking 15 - Odds 25/1 - Squad
Coach: Louis van Gaal (since July 2012)
World Cup best: Runners-up 1974, 1978, 2010
Last appearance: Runners-up in 2010
How they qualified: Winners of UEFA Group D (W9 D1 L0 F34 A5)
Recent form: D1-1 v Ecuador, W1-0 v Ghana, W2-0 v Wales
Plenty of Dutch courage will be required for the Netherlands to match their World Cup run four years ago when they finished runners-up for a third time, the most by any team never to have won football's ultimate prize. Strong though they were in qualifying, the draw has severely dented Dutch expectations with a young, mainly home-based squad facing an immediate rematch with Spain and then a tricky Chile side in the final round of matches. Of course, there are still some wise old heads in the squad but the best of them - Arjen Robben and Robin van Persie - are both rather injury-prone while Wesley Sneijder's form is nowhere what it was in 2010. Already subject to reports of a training ground scuffle after a few heavy tackles, the clichéd prospect of Dutch infighting never actually seems far away. But, whatever happens in Brazil, coach Louis van Gaal know he will be soon escaping it all anyway having already sealed a new role linking up again with van Persie at Manchester United.
Prediction: Group stage 

CHILE FIFA World ranking 14 - Odds 40/1 - Squad
Coach: Jorge Sampaoli (since December 2012)
World Cup best: Semi finals 1962
Last appearance: Last 16 in 2010
How they qualified: Third in South American qualifying (W9 D1 L6 F29 A25)
Recent form: W3-2 v Egypt, W2-0 v Northern Ireland
Chile only know one way to play - and, to the delight of the neutral, it is pretty much all-out attack. As a consequence, the Chileans finished behind only Argentina in the scoring charts in South American qualifying but, worryingly, they also conceded 25 and needed a win in their last qualifier against Ecuador to guarantee a place in the finals. Argentine Jorge Sampaoli is the current head coach but he is very much a disciple of one of his predecessors, compatriot Marco Biesla, who introduced a greater emphasis on the high-tempo pressing game which promises to make La Roja such a good watch this summer. Indeed, optimism in Santiago is high - and, even though the group features the two World Cup finalists from four years ago, progress from the group is achievable. Perhaps a bigger problem being that the runners-up in Group B will most likely face Brazil in the Last 16, a team which the Chileans even more than most will want to avoid, having been eliminated by them previously in 1962, 1998 and 2010.
Prediction: Last 16

AUSTRALIA FIFA World ranking 62 - Odds 1500/1 - Squad
Coach: Ange Postecoglou (since October 2013)
World Cup best: Last 16 in 2006
Last appearance: Group stage in 2010
How they qualified: Runners-up of Asian Group B (W3 D4 L1 F12 A7)
Recent form: D1-1 v South Africa, L0-1 v Croatia
Pity poor Australia. Already the lowest ranked team in a World Cup finals without a genuine minnow, the last thing the Socceroos needed was to be drawn against the two finalists from the last World Cup, Spain and Netherlands, as well as a highly talented Chile team. It could well end up that the Aussies finishing without a single point - but at least there is more hope in the long-term than it appeared four years ago when an ageing Aussie outfit were beaten 4-0 in the opening game against Germany, and just never got going. By contrast, this squad had been given more than a bit of a refresh and the new boss Ange Postecoglou - a former national youth team coach - is happy to put his faith in the players which he has developed. There is still an over-reliance on 34-year-old Tim Cahill for goals, however, and there remains the distinct possibility that no team will look more out of their depth this summer.
Prediction: Group stage

GROUP C COLOMBIA + GREECE + IVORY COAST + JAPAN

	Fixtures		Venue
BBC	5pm Sat 14 June	COLOMBIA v GREECE	Belo Horizonte
ITV	2am Sun 15 June	IVORY COAST v JAPAN	Recife
BBC	5pm Thu 19 June	COLOMBIA v IVORY COAST	Brasilia
BBC	11pm Thu 19 June	JAPAN v GREECE	Natal
BBC	9pm Tue 24 June	JAPAN v COLOMBIA	Cuiaba
BBC	9pm Tue 24 June	GREECE v IVORY COAST	Fortaleza

COLOMBIA FIFA World ranking 8 - Odds 28/1 - Squad
Coach: Jose Pekerman (since January 2012)
World Cup best: Last 16 in 1990
Last appearance: Group stage in 1998
How they qualified: Runners-up in South American qualifying (W9 D3 L4 F27 A13)
Recent form: D2-2 v Senegal, W3-0 v Jordan
Colombia have qualified for their first World Cup finals since being knocked out by England in 1998 - and they have done it in some style, with a runners-up place in South American qualifying good enough to elevate their ranking so that they have actually been seeded. Consequently, Los Cafeteros should expect to play more than three games this summer despite their long absence from the world stage and despite an injury which has ruled out their main striker Radamel Falcao. The absence of Falcao probably puts an end to Colombian hopes of a run deep into the latter stages of the tournament but Jose Pekerman's squad should still have enough about them not to flop out in the first round. Carlos Bacca will replace Falcao up front and he arrives in good spirits having helped Sevilla win the Europa League.
Prediction: Last 16

GREECE FIFA World ranking 12 - Odds 300/1 - Squad
Coach: Fernando Santos (since July 2010)
World Cup best: Group stage 1994, 2010
Last appearance: Group stage in 2010
How they qualified: Won 4-2 on agg v Romania (3-1h, 1-1a) after finishing runners-up in UEFA Group G (W8 D1 L1 F12 A4)
Recent form: D0-0 v Portugal, D0-0 v Nigeria, W2-1 v Bolivia
Athens is getting quite used to the big occasion with Greece having now qualified for their fourth successive major finals. But, since their stunning European Championship title a decade ago, the Greeks' tournament performances and results have not been too impressive. Their failure to progress out of the group stage in South Africa four years ago was a direct result of them being far too cautious in the two 2-0 defeats to South Korea and Argentina. And, although that spelled the end for 'King' Otto Rehhagel, with only 12 goals in qualifying, his Portuguese replacement Fernando Santos has clearly adhered to the same philosophy of keeping it tight and seeing what happens. Once again, that might not be good enough for Greece at the finals.
Prediction: Group stage

IVORY COAST FIFA World ranking 23 - Odds 150/1 - Squad
Coach: Sabri Lamouchi (since May 2012)
World Cup best: Group stage 2006, 2010
Last appearance: Group stage in 2010
How they qualified: Won 4-2 on agg v Senegal (3-1h, 1-1a) after winning African Group B (W4 D2 L0 F15 A5)
Recent form: L1-2 v Bosnia-Herzegovina, W2-1 v El Salvador
Ivory Coast sense that, at last, their chance has come to make a big impression at a World Cup finals. Now appearing for the third successive time, the Elephants have landed a draw which gives them a real good chance of making it to the Last 16 for the first time, having previously come up against Argentina and Netherlands in 2006, and Brazil and Portugal in 2010. A failure to compensate for their early World Cup exits with success in the African Cup of Nations has grated - but all of that would be forgotten if the Ivorians could make it through this time. Manchester City midfielder Yaya Toure was in excellent form during his club side's title-winning season while success at the World Cup would be an appropriate send-off for 36-year-old striker Didier Drogba. 
Prediction: Last 16

JAPAN FIFA World ranking 46 - Odds 150/1 - Squad
Coach: Alberto Zaccheroni (since August 2010)
World Cup best: Last 16 in 2002, 2010
Last appearance: Last 16 in 2010
How they qualified: Winners of Asian Group B (W5 D2 L1 F16 A5)
Recent form: W1-0 v Cyprus, W3-1 v Costa Rica, W4-3 v Zambia
Japan were the first team outside of hosts Brazil to qualify for the World Cup as easy winners of Asian qualifying Group B, finishing four points clear of runners-up Australia. Having said that, their other opponents - Jordan, Oman and Iraq - were no great shakes and, now qualified for a fifth successive World Cup, expectancy levels in Japan are now raised above being satisfied with just getting there. In that regard, the Blue Samurai made a big stride in South Africa four years ago where they won their first finals matches outside of Japan and also made it through the group stages for the first time in an abroad World Cup. A similar result will be expected this time in what is an open group and the Land of the Rising Sun will have plenty of support in Brazil where there is the largest largest Japanese population outside of Japan, numbering 1.5 million people. A weak defence is likely to lead to their downfall, however. 
Prediction: Group stage 

GROUP D URUGUAY + COSTA RICA + ENGLAND + ITALY

	Fixtures		Venue
ITV	8pm Sat 14 June	URUGUAY v COSTA RICA	Fortaleza
BBC	11pm Sat 14 June	ENGLAND v ITALY	Manaus
ITV	8pm Thu 19 June	URUGUAY v ENGLAND	Sao Paulo
BBC	5pm Fri 20 June	ITALY v COSTA RICA	Recife
ITV	5pm Tue 24 June	ITALY v URUGUAY	Natal
ITV	5pm Tue 24 June	COSTA RICA v ENGLAND	Belo Horizonte

URUGUAY FIFA World ranking 7 - Odds 28/1 - Squad
Coach: Oscar Tabarez (since May 2006)
World Cup best: Winners 1930, 1950
Last appearance: Semi finals in 2010
How they qualified: Won 5-0 on agg v Jordan (5-0a, 0-0h) after finishing fifth in South American qualifying (W7 D4 L5 F25 A25)
Recent form: W1-0 v Northern Ireland, W2-0 v Slovenia
Still enjoying the riches of a modern golden era under coach Oscar Tabarez, Uruguay followed up their place in the World Cup semi finals four years ago with victory in the Copa America across the Rio Plata a year later. A struggle through qualifying ended ultimately with an easy victory against Jordan in an intercontinental playoff - and now, having made it, La Celeste are aiming to gatecrash their other big neighbours with a repeat of the Maracanazo which brought them their second World Cup the last time the tournament was in Brazil in 1950. To do so, the Uruguayans will first have to navigate their way through a tough group - although they can give themselves a head-start by beating Costa Rica in their opening match. But, much from then on will depend on whether the two forwards, Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani - both of whom are in their prime at the age of 27 - can create enough between themselves to cover for an ageing defence and a rather one-paced midfield.
Prediction: Group stage

COSTA RICA FIFA World ranking 28 - Odds 4000/1 - Squad
Coach: Jorge Luis Pinto (since September 2011)
World Cup best: Last 16 in 1990
Last appearance: Group stage in 2006
How they qualified: Runners-up in North-Central American qualifying (W5 D3 L2 F13 A7)
Recent form: L1-3 v Japan, D1-1 v Republic of Ireland
Now in their fourth World Cup finals altogether, Costa Rica would have hoped for a kinder draw after their last appearance eight years ago saw them finishing bottom with three defeats out of three. Given that they find themselves in a group with three former champions, another trio of defeats is a distinct possibility again - but only a fool would write off Los Ticos completely. After all, the Central Americans enjoyed some impressive results in qualifying including a clean sweep of five wins out of five at home, beating Mexico (2-1) and the United States (3-1). But, on the road, the form was less impressive with just three points taken out of a possible 15 - and, while Jorge Pinto's men have the talent to trouble one of the big three sides in the group on their day, it would count as a massive surprise if they repeated their fine achievement from 1990 when they reached the Last 16 by beating Scotland and Sweden.
Prediction: Group stage

ENGLAND FIFA World ranking 10 - Odds 28/1 - Squad
Coach: Roy Hodgson (since May 2012)
World Cup best: Winners 1966
Last appearance: Last 16 in 2010
How they qualified: Winners of UEFA Group H (W6 D4 L0 F31 A4)
Recent form: W3-0 v Peru, D2-2 v Ecuador, D0-0 v Honduras
The cut-throat gesture made by FA chairman Greg Dyke at the draw in December was a clear demonstration of England's lack of expectations heading into this World Cup. Still haunted by the 4-1 humiliation against Germany at Bloemfontein four years ago, England had also only just struggled through a much easier group than what they have been landed with this time. Nevertheless, there are actually some signs of encouragement - despite his hasty appointment following the resignation of Fabio Capello, Roy Hodgson achieved a creditable quarter final placing at Euro 2012 and then led the Three Lions unbeaten through the qualifiers for Brazil. The former Switzerland coach has also freshened up the squad following the emergence of Luke Shaw and Adam Lallana at Southampton, Daniel Sturridge and Raheem Sterling at Liverpool, Ross Barkley at Everton, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at Arsenal. And these new options may also ease the pressure on Wayne Rooney who has often appeared to be England's sole out-and-out attacker - but who has never scored at a World Cup finals. The concern, then, remains the defence - the back-four of Johnson-Cahill-Jagielka-Baines almost picks itself - but, in the absence of Ashley Cole and John Terry, this is more down to lack of alternatives than anything else.
Prediction: Quarter finals

ITALY FIFA World ranking 9 - Odds 25/1 - Squad
Coach: Cesare Prandelli (since May 2010)
World Cup best: Winners 1934, 1938, 1982, 2010
Last appearance: Group stage in 2010
How they qualified: Winners of UEFA Group B (W6 D4 L0 F19 A9)
Recent form: D0-0 v Republic of Ireland, D1-1 v Luxembourg
Four-time winners Italy made a complete mess of the defence of their 2006 title four years ago, somehow finishing bottom of an almost hand-picked group which also featured Paraguay, Slovakia and New Zealand. Under new coach Cesare Prandelli, though, the Azzurri immediately did their best to make amends by reaching the final of Euro 2012. Although they were eventually beaten 4-0 by Spain in Kiev, the full-time scoreline was harsh - nevertheless, the defeat did not seem to knock the Italians' confidence as they strode through qualification for this World Cup with ease. Since securing their place in October, Italy have actually failed to win in seven matches, the latest of which was an embarrassing 1-1 draw against Luxembourg - but it would be wrong to judge the Italians on what are essentially meaningless matches. Indeed, if Andrea Pirlo can control the midfield in the opener against England as he did two years ago, Prandelli knows that - with Costa Rica up in their second game - Italy could actually make light work of what is a very tough section.
Prediction: Semi finals