Colombia vs Ivory Coast
The winner of this match between the top two teams in group C would almost be assured a spot in the round of 16. The game was open from the start but neither team could put the ball into the back of the net. When the second half came around, so did the goals. In the 64th James Rodriguez got on the end of a Cuadrado corner. Rodriguez broke away from his defender and ran unchecked towards goal. His powerful header was to fast for the keeper to react, and Colombia took a 1-0 lead (http://gfycat.com/WavyColorlessDog). 5 minutes later, a bad giveaway in the middle of the field led to a Colombian second. Gutierrez pick-pocketed the ball at midfield and started a 3 on 1 breakaway for the Colombians. Gutierrez ran at the lone defender and played the ball off to Quintero, who slid the ball calmly past the goalie (http://gfycat.com/FrequentAcademicIndianrockpython). The 2 goal lead was short lived. 4 minutes after the Colombians double their lead Gervinho scored one of the goals of the tournament. He beat 3 Colombian defenders on his run into the box and the keeper couldn't keep his shot out (http://gfycat.com/HandmadeGreatGermanpinscher). The Ivorians continued to pressure the Colombian back line but a heroic effort from 38 year old Mario Yepes kept them from tying the game. The result, combined with results from later in the day, sent Colombia through to the next round. For Ivory Coast, they need to get at least a point from their game with Greece to advance.
England vs Uruguay
The loser of this match would be extreme long shots to qualify for the next round. Uruguay were boosted by the return of Luis Suarez for this match, but at less than 100% it wasn't clear whether he would be able to impact the game. With Uruguay getting routed in their opener against Costa Rica, they needed to gamble on a less than fit Suarez to provide an offensive spark. England had the first real chance of the game. A cross to the far post found the head of Wayne Rooney, his header clanged of the post and bounced away. Minutes later all the questions surrounding Suarez were answered. In the 39th minute, a beautifully measured ball from Cavani was headed home with pinpoint accuracy by Suarez (http://gfycat.com/TanPleasingCooter). Uruguay looked like a much more dangerous team going forward with Suarez in the line up. After falling behind England began to control the game, looking for the equalizer. They had to wait until the 75th minute for Rooney to tie up the game. A deflected ball across the box from Glen Johnson found Rooney at the far post and his tap in gave him his first ever World Cup goal, as well as tying up the game (http://gfycat.com/VengefulDemandingBoubou). English hopes were crushed 10 minutes later when Luiz Suarez got on the end of a long punt by his goal keeper. The punt over the top put him 1 on 1 with the keeper and he was never going to miss (http://gfycat.com/VariableWickedCoot). The win gave Uruguay a chance to control their own destiny in their final match against Italy. England are not out of it, but they need a lot of help to get out of the group.
Greece vs Japan
This game was ugly to watch. The defensive minded Greeks were forced into an even more defensive game after their captain, Katsouranis, was shown a second yellow for a bad challenge in the 38th minute. From that point on the Greeks did anything they could to preserve the tied. They pulled and pushed the Japanese, and made sure that they weren't going to be scoring without getting hit on the way through. The Japanese had almost 75% possession for the game, but they couldn't break down the Greeks. A point was enough to keep both teams in the tournament, but they seem to be on the outside looking in. They both some help from the other in the final round of games in order to qualify.
Group C Standings
Group D Standings
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