Saturday June 14th

Group C

Greeks easy for Colombia

Colombia 3 Greece 0 (Belo Horizonte)
Greece offered very little resistance as Colombia struck 3 times to start their campaign with a win. Palbo Armero's shot took a deflection and rolled into the goal as early as the 5th minute but Colombia had to wait until the 58th minute to find the net again when a corner kick was helped on to Teofilo Gutierrez who stabbed the ball in from a yard out. In the 63rd minute Gekas hit the underside of the bar for Greece with a diving header inside the 6-yard box and Colombia added salt to injury when James Rodriguez stroked the ball home from just inside the box in stoppage time.

Group D

Costa Rica shock Uruguay

Costa Rica 3 Uruguay 1 (Forteleza)

Group D minnows Costa Rica stunned Uruguay with a well-earned 3-1 victory. Uruguay were awarded a penalty in the 22nd minute and Edinson Cavani struck low and hard from the spot to give the South Americans the lead. Forlan's deflected shot just before the break was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Navas, but in the 54th minute Joel Campbell chested a cross in the box and whacked in the equaliser. Only 3 minutes later a free kick was floated into the box for Oscar Duarte to stoop and head in across goal and in the 84th minute a clever pass from Campbell on the right found substitute Marcos Urena who rolled the ball past the keeper into the far corner. Maxi Pereira was shown a straight red for Uruguay in stoppage time when he took a swipe at Campbell who was protecting the ball near the corner flag.

Group D

England tumble in the jungle

Italy 2 England 1 (Manaus)

Mario Balotelli scored the winner as Italy got the better of England at the Arena Amazonia in Manaus. In the 35th minute a clever dummy from Pirlo after a well-worked corner set up Claudio Marchisio who found the corner of the net with a daisy-cutter past the diving Hart, but 2 minutes later Daniel Sturridge got on the end of a Rooney cross to knock in the equaliser. In first half stoppage time Balotelli chipped Hart but saw his effort headed off the line by Jagielka and moments later Candreva's angled shot struck the base of the England post. In the 58th minute Candreva curled in a cross for Balotelli to head home at the far post. Sirigu was kept busy in the Italy goal and Pirlo came close when his swerving free kick bounced off the bar in stoppage time.

Group C

Elephants hit back

Ivory Coast 2 Japan 1 (Recife)

Two goals in as many minutes for Ivory Coast turned the table on Japan. Keisuke Honda gave Japan the lead in the 16th minute when he slammed a left-footer into the roof of the net from just inside the area, but in the 64th minute Bony flung himself to meet a cross from Aurier and beat Kawashima with a glancing header and 2 minutes later Gervinho got on the end of another cross from Aurier to head low between the keeper and the post.