World Cup Daily: Run Robben Run and De Rossi sympathy

The World Cup well and truly arrived in England with the Three Lions impressing despite a 2-1 defeat to Italy in their opener – a result far more respectable than Uruguay’s 3-1 loss to Costa Rica.

In the Headlines

Steven Gerrard will be licking his wounds after England’s 2-1 loss to Italy but one man offering his sympathies is Daniele De Rossi, who admitted that playing the Liverpool captain makes him “emotional.”

“Of course, on the field you’ve got to get stuck in there, but it is always a pleasure and an honour,” he said. “I cheered on Liverpool until the end, but they lost the Premier League title in an incredible way.”

He could well be cheering England on against Uruguay but one team the Roma man will definitely want to see continue winning are Colombia – the likely second round opponents of the runners-up from Group D.

James Rodriguez was the star in Los Cafetero’s 3-0 win over Greece, with one-time bb-gun toting team mate Teo Gutierrez  amongst the goals as Colombia won a first World Cup game in 20 years.

Ivory Coast also won, with Arsenal target Serge Aurier playing a starring role while Wilfried Bony was picked ahead of Didier Drogba and duly delivered a crucial goal for the Ivorians.

The England Camp

Despite losing the opening game, the manner of defeat against Italy has left many within the England camp feeling positive, that is, apart from two individuals.

The first is Wayne Rooney who, despite playing the killer pass for Daniel Sturridge’s goal, had a largely forgettable game – something that has only served the reignite the debate surrounding his inclusion the England first XI.

Former England boss Graham Taylor is the latest to weigh in, calling for Roy Hodgson to change his approach and play Rooney through the centre.

The second person feeling less than positive is physio Gary Lewin who dislocated his ankle celebrating England’s goal and will now miss the rest of the tournament.

Injury List

Germany and Belgium are the latest to suffer injury problems on the eve of their first games at these World Cup finals, with the Red Devils currently sweating on the fitness of Romelu Lukaku following his recent ankle problems and a new injury to back-up striker Divock Origi.

Die Mannschaft, meanwhile, could be without Bastian Schweinsteiger, after the Bayern Munich man picked up a knock for Germany during training.

Airlifted to hospital yesterday, the problem has been played down by Germany.

Fan Watch

Away from the sunny climes of Brazil, England fans have been taking centre stage with this reaction to Sturridge’s goal, captured at the Isle of Wight festival, proving a real highlight in the wake of the Three Lions’ latest World Cup heartache.

And while it’s unlikely to happen, England fans would welcome Wayne Rooney and co taking a leaf out of Belgium’s book when it comes to fan interaction, with Moussa Dembele and Jan Vertonghen answering supporters questions via YouTube.

And in other news

Arjen Robben was the undoubted star of the second day at the World Cup and it would appear that his foot-race face-off with Sergio Ramos, which led to a second goal for the Bayern man, was a record-breaking one.

While his Real Madrid opponent was travelling at a speed of 30.6 km/h, Robben managed 37km/h – a figure that shattered the previous best of 35.7km/h set by our very own Theo Walcott.

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