By DAN KARELL
England looked to be on the way to an important victory away from home after the first 45 minutes of the match. The second 45 however, were a different story.
Three Lions midfielder Steven Gerrard has rued the result for England, saying that some players on the side stopped playing for “20 or 30 minutes” once the second half began. The England captain had boosted his side’s chances before the match, but his teammates let the nation down, conceding a goal in the 76th minute.
Meanwhile, manager Roy Hodgson has generated controversy, saying that he and his coaching staff didn’t believe that there was a need to make a change while England was up 1-0 even though their form in the second half was poor. However, Hodgson has reminded fans and media alike that England still control their own destiny as long as they can get wins and not draws.
Here are some more stories to get your Wednesday started:
REFEREE MISSES SUAREZ PUNCH
Chile picked up an important 2-0 win on Tuesday over Uruguay, but La Celeste were probably lucky that they didn’t go down a man in the 35th minute.
Luis Suarez, no stranger to controversy, gave Chilean defender Gonzalo Jara a nice punch in the face, over Suarez’s left shoulder, as the two tussled ahead of a corner kick. The referee missed the incident, but booked the Liverpool forward in the 58th minute for dissent. The yellow card for Suarez means that he’s now suspended for Uruguay’s next match against Venezuela.
It is unknown at the moment if Suarez will face further punishment for his actions. Though the 27-year-old was held scoreless, he has scored eight goals in ten matches in World Cup 2014 qualifying for Uruguay.
GÖTZE TALKS UP POTENTIAL MAN UNITED MOVE
Manchester United are always looking for the latest stars around the world, and they’d be hard-pressed to find a better plan than the diminutive Borussia Dortmund midfielder.
Mario Götze, scorer of two goals in the last two matches for Germany, has said that he would be interested in a switch to the red side of Manchester. He also named Barcelona and Real Madrid as potential teams to move to in the future, alerting the heads of those clubs.
The German club’s sporting director, Michael Zorc, has talked down any future move, referring to a recent four-year contract extension signed by the 20-year-old midfielder. Götze came through the Dortmund side in 2010 as at the age of seventeen, leading the club to a title and German Cup last season.
At the moment, Götze is a Dortmund player, scoring eight goals and five assists in 24 Bundesliga matches this season. Dortmund are currently sitting second in the table.
QUICK KICKS
Bob Bradley and his Egypt side defeated Zimbabwe 2-1 for their third win in three matches. (REPORT)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been cleared by UEFA to face Barcelona in the Champions League. (REPORT)
Jerome Boateng, brother of Kevin-Prince Boateng, has said he is proud of his brother’s stand against racism in soccer. (REPORT)
Robin Van Persie’s two goals against Romania have moved him ahead of the legendary Johan Cruyff, with 34 goals all time for Holland. (REPORT)
Jose Mourinho has called a return to England “inevitable”. (REPORT)
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What do you think of these reports? Do you agree with Gerrard’s comments? See Suarez being punished by CONMEBOL? Do you see Götze moving to England?
Share your thoughts below.