Colombia v Greece

:00:00. > :00:00.you say to your players, try and wind him up? Of course, see if he

:00:00. > :00:07.takes the bait. He can be a bit emotional. To be fair to him, he was

:00:08. > :00:17.very controlled in both games. Let's turn our attention to today's games.

:00:18. > :00:37.Do you know what they say, forewarned is forearmed.

:00:38. > :01:24.Charisteas is the player who got the touch! Greece have 1 euro 2004!

:01:25. > :01:43.Higuita has got himself into trouble! It is no surprise.

:01:44. > :02:03.An own goal from Escobar! Gunman had shot dead and dress Escobar.

:02:04. > :02:09.A worldwide survey this year found: Begins with the planet's happiest

:02:10. > :02:12.people, can't imagine why that is. There is plenty to smile about, not

:02:13. > :02:24.just Shakira. A new generation representing a new

:02:25. > :02:29.Colombia, back in the World Cup for the first time since the Carlos

:02:30. > :02:36.Valderrama side. Memories of that team scarred by the murder of

:02:37. > :02:43.Escobar, who had scored an own goal in USA '94, an example of the

:02:44. > :02:48.violence of a land out of control at the time. Two decades on, Colombia

:02:49. > :02:59.is in a different place. It's bounced back and now in the words of

:03:00. > :03:05.its big star, Shakira, it is loco loco for its national team. Radamel

:03:06. > :03:19.Falcao may be a casualty, but the key man of this side is Rodriguez.

:03:20. > :03:25.Who can replace Falcao? Carlos Bacca can. The weakness could be at the

:03:26. > :03:31.other end. Mario Yepes is now 38. His lack of pace could be exposed.

:03:32. > :03:36.Beware - Colombia have waited 16 years for a World Cup. Jose Pekerman

:03:37. > :03:43.says that this is the tournament where Colombia claim a place at

:03:44. > :03:48.football's top table. As we all know, Colombia lost star

:03:49. > :03:53.striker Falcao before the tournament. Victor Ibarbo starts on

:03:54. > :03:58.the wing and Rodriguez moves to a central position. He is one of the

:03:59. > :04:06.key creative players along with Cuadrado. A defensive reshuffle

:04:07. > :04:11.means Zapata partners Yepes. As Tim mentioned, the one to keep an eye on

:04:12. > :04:15.is James Rodriguez. He's played in Europe since 2010. He spent three

:04:16. > :04:21.years with Porto before moving to Monaco. He ended the season in

:04:22. > :04:30.excellent form. He assisted more goals than any other player in Ligue

:04:31. > :04:36.1. He is a player we should look out for in this game, Neil? Yes. I saw

:04:37. > :04:42.him a couple of years ago and he was outstanding. It is no coincidence

:04:43. > :04:47.that in the absence of fall fall, he's turned out -- of Falcao, he's

:04:48. > :04:58.turned out to be the team's best player. You have a player like

:04:59. > :05:02.Rodriguez, he is young, ?37.6 million. He has a big price tag to

:05:03. > :05:07.live up to. The country's hopes will be riding on his shoulders. You have

:05:08. > :05:11.seen one or two of their players in Italy. Cuadrado has caught your eye?

:05:12. > :05:14.I think we will have a lot of fun watching him during

:05:15. > :05:20.I think we will have a lot of fun games. He had a great season with

:05:21. > :05:24.Fiorentina, always active, trying to dribble, scores a lot of goals.

:05:25. > :05:29.Enjoyable to watch. Their manager is a character as well, he is

:05:30. > :05:33.much-loved in Colombia, Pekerman. He managed Argentina in 2006. They love

:05:34. > :05:36.him there because he's restored Colombian football to the

:05:37. > :05:42.attractive, attacking nature they prefer? Yes. He was a personality of

:05:43. > :05:48.the year, so it means that people are very confident about the manager

:05:49. > :05:58.and I think he's changed, he's brought the old Colombian to the

:05:59. > :06:02.field, while they have talent, they like to play and it will be

:06:03. > :06:05.exciting. His daughter was born when he played in Colombia and she

:06:06. > :06:07.convinced him to take the Colombian job. As for Greece, this is how we

:06:08. > :06:22.expect them to line up. Gekas starts up front ahead of

:06:23. > :06:26.Mitroglou. They are boosted by the return from fitness of

:06:27. > :06:32.Papastathopoulos, the Dortmund centre-back who man-marked Messi

:06:33. > :06:38.four years ago. Neil, a couple of players you know about, Samaras, in

:06:39. > :06:43.particular. He was under your stewardship at Celtic for a while?

:06:44. > :06:48.He can be unplayable at times. Then he can be off the boil. This is a

:06:49. > :06:53.big tournament for Giorgos. He is 29. He is looking for a club. He is

:06:54. > :06:56.a big-game player. Greece will look to him, particularly on the

:06:57. > :07:01.counterattack. As the game goes on, he will get stronger. I sense from

:07:02. > :07:04.what you said that he can be mildly irritating in the sense you don't

:07:05. > :07:08.know what you are going to get as a manager? That must be frustrating?

:07:09. > :07:14.He needs a bit of love. One of those! Absolutely. He's gifted,

:07:15. > :07:23.Gary. He has the talent, he has the legs. And the hair! He has the

:07:24. > :07:29.beard. No, he can be a hell of a player. Greece will be looking for

:07:30. > :07:33.him to have a big tournament. Do South American teams prefer to play

:07:34. > :07:37.against European stars, or do they prefer to play against teams that

:07:38. > :07:44.they know how to play against? They prefer to know the team. The

:07:45. > :07:48.European usually, they usually have a solid defence. South American

:07:49. > :07:52.players don't like to play against solid defences so they have to move

:07:53. > :07:58.the ball all the time to get gaps, to get space. That is why Colombia

:07:59. > :08:03.will play. We have seen a lot of open, attacking football so far.

:08:04. > :08:09.Greece might be the first team to park the bus? Hopefully, not! We

:08:10. > :08:16.have seen a lot of goals until now. Let's hope for the best. That's

:08:17. > :08:21.wishful thinking! Greece will sit in and soak it up. I think the first

:08:22. > :08:25.goal will be crucial. If Colombia get it, they will win it

:08:26. > :08:29.comfortably. If Greece get it, they will sit in and soak it up. As for

:08:30. > :08:33.Colombia, the first game is always hugely important. After losing a

:08:34. > :08:37.number of players through injury, they have had a lot of bad luck in

:08:38. > :08:47.the build-up to this tournament. It is important to get off to a good

:08:48. > :08:52.Stormont -- start for morale purposes. They have to play the way

:08:53. > :08:55.they have been playing, the way they qualified. Their performances are

:08:56. > :09:02.great. I think they will continue to play the same. There is no reason to

:09:03. > :09:04.change that. Even if you play with European clubs, or South American

:09:05. > :09:12.clubs. The teams are in the tunnel, Clarence. The start of the World

:09:13. > :09:20.Cup. A degree of apprehension? This is the first game. It always brings

:09:21. > :09:31.extra tension. But, at the end, I think Greece and the Colombians both

:09:32. > :09:35.are quite young. So, that can help with that pressure. They need to go

:09:36. > :09:39.on and enjoy the game. Hopefully, Cuadrado and the full-backs of

:09:40. > :09:44.Colombia will give us some excitement. Quick predictions?

:09:45. > :09:53.Clarence? 2-1 win for Colombia. Neil? 2-0 Colombia. Juninho? 2-1

:09:54. > :10:08.Colombia. Plenty of goals. This is our first visit to Belo Horizonte,

:10:09. > :10:15.Brazil's coffee capital. Simon Brotherton and Kevin Kilbane

:10:16. > :10:24.are there. SIMON BROTHERTON: The South

:10:25. > :10:32.Americans are the only one of the two to reach the knockout stages and

:10:33. > :10:36.that was at Italia 90. This, though, the best crop of players that

:10:37. > :10:40.Colombia has had in 20 years. They qualified second in South America,

:10:41. > :10:45.they were a couple of points behind Argentina. Expectation, though,

:10:46. > :10:50.tempered by the absence of star striker Radamel Falcao and several

:10:51. > :10:53.other key players, although Falcao is here today. We have seen him in

:10:54. > :10:56.the tunnel speaking with his team-mates. The coach, Jose

:10:57. > :11:03.Pekerman, keen to keep him involved with the squad even though he cannot

:11:04. > :11:07.play. Falcao, so key to qualifying, scoring a third of all of their

:11:08. > :11:11.goals en route to the finals, so while Pekerman has got talented

:11:12. > :11:19.alternatives, they have very big shoes to fill. This, the first of

:11:20. > :11:23.six games to be played here, including England's final group

:11:24. > :11:31.match against Costa Rica on 24th and one of the semifinals and what a

:11:32. > :11:35.magnificent arena it is. The atmosphere at fever pitch. There are

:11:36. > :11:38.so many Colombian fans inside the stadium.

:11:39. > :11:50.Greece will provide stubborn and resilient opposition today. They

:11:51. > :11:54.have a miserly defence. Eight clean sheets in ten qualifying matches.

:11:55. > :11:58.They held Portugal and Nigeria to goalless draws recently in warm-up

:11:59. > :12:02.games. They will aim to keep it tight at the back and catch Colombia

:12:03. > :12:05.on the counter. Greece are looking for what would be their second ever

:12:06. > :12:38.win at the World Cup Finals. # Oh gloria inmarcesible

:12:39. > :12:47.Oh jubilo inmortal # En surcos de dolores

:12:48. > :12:56.el bien germina ya # La libertad sublime derrama las

:12:57. > :13:15.auroras de su invencible luz # La humanidad entera

:13:16. > :13:23.que entre cadenas gime # Comprende las palabras del que

:13:24. > :13:28.murio en la cruz. # Colombia back at the World Cup since

:13:29. > :14:01.France '98. The Colombian fans making all the

:14:02. > :14:18.noise in the stadium as we wait for the Greek National Anthem.

:14:19. > :14:29.# Se gnorizo apo tin kopsi tou spathiou tin tromeri

:14:30. > :14:38.# se gnorizo apo tin opsi pou me via metrai tin gi

:14:39. > :14:49.# Ap' ta kokkala vgalmeni ton Ellinon ta iera

:14:50. > :15:07.# kai san prota andriomeni chere, o chere, Eleftheria. #

:15:08. > :15:12.APPLAUSE Greece playing at the World Cup for

:15:13. > :15:22.the third time here in Brazil after a two-legged play-off win over

:15:23. > :15:26.Romania. Not much history between these two on the football field.

:15:27. > :15:30.Only one previous meeting. It was won 2-0 by Colombia. It was

:15:31. > :15:39.Only one previous meeting. It was ago, ahead of the '94 World Cup.

:15:40. > :15:57.The Colombian quartet of Falcao, they have all been ruled out of this

:15:58. > :16:24.game. our referee, the first referee from

:16:25. > :16:52.the US at a World Cup since 2002. Greece have no major injury concerns

:16:53. > :16:56.ahead of this one. Central defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos has been

:16:57. > :17:00.passed fit to start. The big decision for coach Fernando Santos

:17:01. > :17:05.was whether Kostas Mitroglou is ready to start after recovering from

:17:06. > :17:08.a knee injury. He was their top scorer in qualifying, but Theofanis

:17:09. > :17:31.Gekas gets the nod. season with Napoli after a knee

:17:32. > :17:46.operation. We almost ready to go, Greece will

:17:47. > :17:55.get us under way, kicking from right-to-left in the first half. The

:17:56. > :18:00.Estadio Mineirao, a sea of yellow, with so many supporters having

:18:01. > :18:11.travelled from: Beer for this one. -- from Colombia. We are ready to go

:18:12. > :18:12.here. 24 degrees, the temperature. The weather, improving as the day

:18:13. > :18:25.has gone on all stop --. Ivory Coast will play Japan later on

:18:26. > :18:52.today. Greece, just the one win ever in the

:18:53. > :18:53.World Cup finals, a victory over Nigeria in South Africa four years

:18:54. > :19:04.ago. Colombia, just the one match Nigeria in South Africa four years

:19:05. > :19:07.the last 16. They have waited a long time to get back to the

:19:08. > :19:14.the last 16. They have waited a long finals. A football mad country.

:19:15. > :19:40.An early first touch for spinner, who plays for Neath in France.

:19:41. > :19:50.Gutierrez, quite a prolific of the strikers available

:19:51. > :20:01.to Pekerman. Certainly the one he favours. He was looking for Ibarbo.

:20:02. > :20:08.Fantastic atmosphere inside the stadium. Wonderful atmosphere. The

:20:09. > :20:13.Greeks, totally outnumbered by the Colombian supporters here, but you

:20:14. > :20:18.see some really good incisive play in the first few minutes by the

:20:19. > :20:20.common begins, trying to get the ball to Gutierrez, who will be the

:20:21. > :20:43.key to their attacking options today.

:20:44. > :20:51.Ibarbo, Gutierrez upfront. Manolas, very

:20:52. > :21:07.heavy in the challenge there but the referee didn't buy it.

:21:08. > :21:13.Ospina, chosen as the best goalkeeper

:21:14. > :21:16.Ospina, chosen as the best the qualifiers. Just 25 years of age

:21:17. > :21:30.but a regular in the French league for the last six years already.

:21:31. > :21:39.Yepes, a natural leader but doesn't have any pace at all. They are

:21:40. > :21:45.trying to discourage any balls being played in behind them, playing very

:21:46. > :21:49.deep. They are such a tough side to break down, Greece, eight clean

:21:50. > :21:53.sheets in the qualifiers. Maybe that is why Pekerman has gone for the

:21:54. > :22:05.searing pace of Ibarbo, to try and get round them.

:22:06. > :22:13.Rodriguez, just nudged off the ball. Free kick to Greece.

:22:14. > :22:24.Good play from Samaras, just allows them to get reorganised and get

:22:25. > :22:28.settled. Interesting to see where he plays, Samaras because often the

:22:29. > :22:29.greasy plays out on the left-hand side, which is where he seems to be

:22:30. > :22:43.at the moment. The shot was from money artists. --

:22:44. > :22:55.Maniatis. A decent effort. Didn't really get hold of it.

:22:56. > :23:01.What we can expect to see, with Gekas leading the attack, is Kone

:23:02. > :23:10.getting in behind him as much as possible. Quite right, who plays his

:23:11. > :23:18.football for Fiorentina. It has crept in! What a start for Colombia!

:23:19. > :23:24.Unbelievable! Armero, up from the back! He lifts the

:23:25. > :23:25.Unbelievable! Armero, up from the stadium and we have only been

:23:26. > :23:33.playing for five minutes! A United side who have made a

:23:34. > :23:52.wonderful start. It was great movement from Cuadrado

:23:53. > :24:00.down the right-hand side, a lovely little dummy from Rodriguez, really,

:24:01. > :24:07.really good finish. A great start here for Colombia. It took a touch

:24:08. > :24:12.of Manolas, which may have taken it away from his goalkeeper. He could

:24:13. > :24:17.have done better with that really come he didn't really have to

:24:18. > :24:26.stretch for the ball. It is just wide! The shot was from Kone. That

:24:27. > :24:31.was almost the perfect response. Incisive run down the left from

:24:32. > :24:32.Samaras. Kone on the stretch just couldn't find the target, so I'm

:24:33. > :24:48.lucky. -- I'm lucky. The trickery of Cuadrado down the

:24:49. > :24:54.right-hand side. It was poor from Manolas really. He should have done

:24:55. > :24:58.better with it. He has certainly been the key man, Cuadrado, with his

:24:59. > :25:02.runs forward down the right-hand side.

:25:03. > :25:06.runs forward down the right-hand of parking the bus, they will have

:25:07. > :25:06.to start of parking the bus, they will have

:25:07. > :25:30.forward now! I think it is the thing that many

:25:31. > :25:34.neutrals wanted, the early goal from Colombia, it will force

:25:35. > :25:37.neutrals wanted, the early goal from out now. They will have to come out

:25:38. > :25:41.and get themselves back in this game. It wasn't the greatest of

:25:42. > :25:47.goals, but it is a perfect game. It wasn't the greatest of

:25:48. > :25:54.Colombia. Armero injured a largely frustrating season, loaned by Napoli

:25:55. > :25:58.to West Ham in the Premier League. He has played all of their

:25:59. > :26:11.qualifying games, via a deflection, his shot ended up in the back of the

:26:12. > :26:18.The foul was by Kone. Rodriguez is the one who makes Colombia Tech. The

:26:19. > :26:24.guys in the studio the one who makes Colombia Tech. The

:26:25. > :26:37.having a huge influence on this: Be aside. They try and get it to him at

:26:38. > :26:40.every opportunity. Jose Pekerman, bags of experience, he was in charge

:26:41. > :26:45.of his native Argentina in Germany eight years ago,

:26:46. > :27:44.of his native Argentina in Germany to the hosts.

:27:45. > :27:58.to make. Rodriguez has won the throw in as well.

:27:59. > :28:09.A little bit of treatment here for Colombia's star player. Fernando

:28:10. > :28:27.Santos, who has been in charge of Greece since the last World Cup.

:28:28. > :28:33.Good backtracking from Ibarbo, he did everything right, but I heavy

:28:34. > :28:41.challenge. Torosidis, having his legs taken away. It was Torosidis

:28:42. > :28:46.who scored the winner four years ago as they beat Nigeria 2-1. Rodriguez,

:28:47. > :29:11.back on the field for Colombia. Holebas strikes it! The Colombian

:29:12. > :29:33.wall does its job. That is the problem without hitting

:29:34. > :29:40.those diagonal balls, That is the problem without hitting

:29:41. > :29:41.Papastathopoulos, as soon as Samaras vacates that side, they lose the

:29:42. > :29:53.aerial threat from those balls. Pekerman has done a good job since

:29:54. > :29:56.taking over, they made a lacklustre start of the qualifying campaign, he

:29:57. > :30:01.didn't change the personnel very much but he did change the emphasis

:30:02. > :30:08.by realising that the team's strength lay in attack, he reminded

:30:09. > :30:13.them of the importance of the team. There was a lot of talk about that

:30:14. > :30:18.yesterday in the pre-match press Conference, about unity and playing

:30:19. > :30:24.as a team, which hasn't always been the case in the past. When you lose

:30:25. > :30:31.a key player in Falcao as well, you have to be reliant on the rest of

:30:32. > :30:36.the team to come in and fill his shoes, they have so much pace and

:30:37. > :30:46.talent and attacking options, so whoever you play, you guarantee

:30:47. > :30:52.there will be goals stop --. Torosidis is a squad player nowadays

:30:53. > :31:00.for Roma. Still retained his place in the Greek starting XI. Gutierrez

:31:01. > :31:38.of River Plate, losing out that time.

:31:39. > :31:44.Every time the centre halves splits, Katsouranis is dropping very deep,

:31:45. > :31:51.almost like a third centre-half at times. He has had an excellent

:31:52. > :32:16.season, Papastathopoulos, with Borussia Dortmund.

:32:17. > :32:23.Yepes. Was it really well. Overall, the Colombian defence have looked

:32:24. > :32:51.comfortable, there has been no real threat going in behind them.

:32:52. > :33:02.SIMON BROTHERTON: There have been question marks about the pace of

:33:03. > :33:08.Yepes, and the defence, but they did have the best qualifying record in

:33:09. > :33:10.South America. It is up front that they need to find something that

:33:11. > :33:34.works to replace Falcao. Real determination there. Flag up

:33:35. > :33:44.for offside. KEVIN KILBANE: He outmuscled

:33:45. > :34:14.Samaras. It was good The ball was pushed forward towards

:34:15. > :34:16.Gutierrez. Just offside. An incident with Cuadrado stumbling in the

:34:17. > :34:33.penalty area. Katsouranis is such an experienced

:34:34. > :35:09.player. It is with Cuadrado now. Ibarbo combining with Gutierrez.

:35:10. > :35:10.That was excellent play. Really was. James Rodriguez looking for that

:35:11. > :35:22.forward pass. Lovely one-two. Cuadrado trying his luck on the far

:35:23. > :35:37.side. Orestis Karnezis was right behind

:35:38. > :35:49.the ball. The Greeks are struggling to cope with the pace and

:35:50. > :35:56.They are a tough side to beat. Only five defeats in 44 matches under

:35:57. > :36:00.Santos in the last four years. Excellent record. The game is

:36:01. > :36:04.Santos in the last four years. on a solid base, difficult

:36:05. > :36:04.Santos in the last four years. down. We see

:36:05. > :36:09.Santos in the last four years. behind, but at the start of this

:36:10. > :36:12.game, with the movement, the attacking options for the

:36:13. > :36:53.Colombians, they are causing problems.

:36:54. > :37:03.The ball had already gone out. was no movement up front. Gekas and

:37:04. > :37:09.Kone, Samaras, they were all stood was no movement up front. Gekas and

:37:10. > :37:12.in a line. When they are behind in a match,

:37:13. > :37:16.in a line. When they are behind in a Greece. They lack that bit

:37:17. > :37:17.in a line. When they are behind in a and flair to go with their

:37:18. > :37:29.resilience. Ibarbo heading away down the

:37:30. > :37:51.left-wing. Takes Maniatis with him. You

:37:52. > :37:57.movement from him and, of course, the overlapping run from Armero.

:37:58. > :38:00.They have so many options going forward, Colombia. He forced his way

:38:01. > :38:02.in at the forward, Colombia. He forced his way

:38:03. > :38:06.Ibarbo. He was not used in forward, Colombia. He forced his way

:38:07. > :38:10.qualifiers at all. Popped up on the score sheet in a friendly against

:38:11. > :38:27.Belgium last November. Martinez on the bench today. Those

:38:28. > :38:33.two have scored 50 goals between them this past season.

:38:34. > :38:38.20 minutes in, the early strike from Pablo Armero, via a deflection,

:38:39. > :39:23.still separates the two sides. Katsouranis is winning his 112th cap

:39:24. > :39:25.today, a veteran from that European Championship-winning team of 2004 in

:39:26. > :39:41.Portugal. Turns 35 next week. Cuadrado will try and help him out,

:39:42. > :40:12.but Samaras was too big and strong. Greece looking for a creative spark

:40:13. > :40:17.and they can't find it. It is very easy the way Colombia have set up,

:40:18. > :40:22.the back two centre-halves, Zapata and Yepes, it is very easy for them,

:40:23. > :40:25.there is no movement and pace going in behind them. Everything is being

:40:26. > :40:26.played in front of them at the moment, so they are very

:40:27. > :40:55.comfortable. He seemed to stick a leg out, didn't

:40:56. > :41:04.he, he didn't have any conviction in his clearance? We are at the midway

:41:05. > :41:06.point of the first half. David Ospina hasn't had anything to do in

:41:07. > :41:28.the Colombian goal so far. Ospina a much more conventional

:41:29. > :41:38.goalkeeper than Rene Higuita. He's seen as not a risk taker. I remember

:41:39. > :41:56.Higuita at Italia 90 getting dispossessed off Roger Millar.

:41:57. > :42:32.There's a lot of space in the centre.

:42:33. > :42:39.Victor Ibarbo will try and fill the gap that is left on that far side.

:42:40. > :42:47.Gutierrez tries to get free. Ibarbo was held up there, really good

:42:48. > :42:51.defending there from Kostas Manolas. We saw that pace again from Ibarbo.

:42:52. > :42:55.He is blowing the Greeks away. But excellent defending. Again, it is

:42:56. > :42:58.easy for Ospina in the Colombia goal.

:42:59. > :43:05.Don't forget, England's opening match against Italy in Manaus is

:43:06. > :43:10.live on BBC One tonight. We are on air at 10.20pm, the kick-off is at

:43:11. > :43:16.11.00pm. England against Italy, BBC One, it is 31 degrees in Manaus at

:43:17. > :43:24.the moment by the way. All the best(!) Cooler here by several

:43:25. > :43:28.degrees, round about 24. Perfect conditions for this opening match in

:43:29. > :43:34.Group C. It is wonderful conditions. It's not humid like it is up in

:43:35. > :43:39.Manaus, but it is excellent conditions to play in.

:43:40. > :43:49.Ibarbo tangling, but losing possession and Samaras was chopped

:43:50. > :43:55.there by Carlos Sanchez and that will be the first card of the match.

:43:56. > :44:00.He gets a yellow card from Mark Geiger. That is why. Sanchez knows

:44:01. > :44:06.what he is doing. Samaras is away. Good, incisive run from Samaras

:44:07. > :44:10.there. He came over and chopped him over. A great run. Nearly joined

:44:11. > :44:17.Bolton a couple of years ago, Carlos Sanchez. Couldn't agree personal

:44:18. > :44:20.terms. He is with Elche in Spain. He might need to tread a little

:44:21. > :44:46.carefully for the remainder of this match.

:44:47. > :44:55.Greece haven't been able that central defensive pairing after

:44:56. > :45:07.Mario Yepes and Cristian Zapata. It is so difficult for the Greek

:45:08. > :45:16.midfield to get the ball into Gekas up front. It is easy for the

:45:17. > :45:22.Colombians to allow the Greeks to go wide. There is no real threat with

:45:23. > :45:27.any balls come into the box. Gekas was largely marginalised in the

:45:28. > :45:28.qualifiers due to the emergence of Kostas Mitroglou, but he is back in

:45:29. > :45:48.pole position now. The header was wide of the goal. It

:45:49. > :45:49.was Torosidis who had come up. It came off his shoulder. He didn't get

:45:50. > :46:06.hold of the header. A rare opportunity for the Greek

:46:07. > :46:14.fans to get off their seats in the match so far.

:46:15. > :46:22.They haven't had too much to shout about at the World Cup Finals. That

:46:23. > :46:27.win over Nigeria in South Africa, but they have lost five of the six

:46:28. > :46:30.games they have played at the World Cup Finals over the years, before

:46:31. > :46:34.today. There is a reluctance within the camp to talk themselves up too

:46:35. > :46:40.much. They are confident internally, but they don't want to give off that

:46:41. > :46:45.impression. They have so much attacking talent. The bookies make

:46:46. > :46:50.Greece the weakest team in the group and on paper that may be so. But it

:46:51. > :46:55.is a position they are used to being in. Exactly. We spoke about how

:46:56. > :47:05.difficult they are to break down and that is their strength.

:47:06. > :47:24.The referee brings the game back for Greece. The ball does get played

:47:25. > :47:27.into Gekas, when it does, he has to hold it up better.

:47:28. > :47:48.and get on target. He's certainly capable of scoring spectacular

:47:49. > :48:12.goals, we have seen this from him already in his career.

:48:13. > :48:15.Gutierrez require a bit of treatment, the

:48:16. > :48:43.referee So Colombia, momentarily down to ten

:48:44. > :49:25.men. Here it is again. Just took a little back from Manolas.

:49:26. > :49:37.The deflection carried it into the arms of Ospina. He will be key,

:49:38. > :49:42.Samaras, he is the real spark for the national side. He hasn't found

:49:43. > :49:45.the back of the net for them since the quarterfinals of the European

:49:46. > :50:14.Championships, though. Zapata, the AC Milan man, swiftly

:50:15. > :50:38.across. Just coming into the game a bit more now, Greece, much better.

:50:39. > :50:54.Yepes, suddenly, has popped up as a centre forward!

:50:55. > :51:03.Armero, who scored the goal that separates the two sides. Cuadrado,

:51:04. > :51:10.trying his luck from quite some way out. It was a great run out from

:51:11. > :51:14.Yepes, he found James Rodriguez on the right-hand side. Greece managed

:51:15. > :51:20.to get bodies back quickly and nullify the attack.

:51:21. > :51:28.The best effort from Greece so far. Torosidis, not getting hold of it

:51:29. > :51:32.properly. That was the incident that caused the eyebrow injury to

:51:33. > :51:33.Gutierrez, who is waiting to come back on and arguing with the

:51:34. > :52:03.officials. It goes behind for a corner. He's

:52:04. > :52:08.quick to get the going behind the goal. He got lucky there. I think he

:52:09. > :52:15.is speaking to the assistant referee, trying to say he was

:52:16. > :52:39.offside. And it's the first corner of the game.

:52:40. > :52:44.Kone of Bologna to get a bit too quickly for the referee's liking. --

:52:45. > :53:12.took it. Bags of time for Papastathopoulos.

:53:13. > :53:19.Good little baffled that, Holebas and Cuadrado. He has had a really

:53:20. > :53:23.good season for Fiorentina, Cuadrado. Talk of a big-money move.

:53:24. > :53:37.Linked with Barcelona the moment. Have Greece got the craft and guile

:53:38. > :53:46.to bring themselves back into it before the break?

:53:47. > :54:03.Swept away by Marianne Yepes. -- Ariaudo.

:54:04. > :54:12.Gutierrez hasn't quite got the legs to get their ahead of Manolas. He

:54:13. > :54:25.tried to out run him, but Manolas did well.

:54:26. > :55:12.Ten back inside the box for Greece. Yepes forward from the back.

:55:13. > :55:21.Over the top from James Rodriguez. Holebas, the full-back, totally lost

:55:22. > :55:26.with the ball that was played in from Ibarbo. He didn't see Rodriguez

:55:27. > :55:32.coming in behind him. maker, James Rodriguez. He had more

:55:33. > :55:57.chances maker, James Rodriguez. He had more

:55:58. > :56:05.South American qualifying campaign. A good first season with Monaco.

:56:06. > :56:09.He seemed to play better when he was more of a central figure, once

:56:10. > :56:32.Falcao was injured. what Kone needs to try and do, get

:56:33. > :56:33.beyond Gekas upfront. He is dropping deep at times to get on the ball,

:56:34. > :57:36.that is what they will want. the last few minutes, Kone, more and

:57:37. > :57:50.more influence on the Greek attack. The flag was up on the far side. It

:57:51. > :58:11.will be Colombia 's free kick. As the stadium begins to shake,

:58:12. > :58:25.thanks to all the: The fans there. -- Colombian fans.

:58:26. > :58:38.centre! No free kick given by the referee there.

:58:39. > :58:44.Zuniga was looking for the free kick there. He was looking for the

:58:45. > :58:49.perfect goal there, Gutierrez, he just has to take the shot on. Good

:58:50. > :59:09.incisive passing from the Colombians in the final third.

:59:10. > :59:22.It is a corner to Colombia. Holebas felt that he was fouled. He is all

:59:23. > :59:27.arms and legs, Ibarbo. Yes, comes in off the left-hand side, causes

:59:28. > :59:38.problems. Holebas has to be careful, throwing the ball at the assistant.

:59:39. > :59:54.Yepes was having to stretch for it. Aguilar was the player who replaced

:59:55. > :00:00.Capoue when he went to Tottenham last season.

:00:01. > :00:05.He is doing a good job, just sitting in front of the back four,

:00:06. > :00:22.discouraging forward passes from the Greeks when they step into midfield.

:00:23. > :00:31.Gekas hasn't had anything to work with at all in this first half.

:00:32. > :00:35.Difficult for the Greeks to get the ball into his feet, but that is

:00:36. > :01:12.largely down to the role of Sanchez and Aguilar in front of him.

:01:13. > :01:19.Lopez had three separate June the qualifiers, seven yellow

:01:20. > :01:38.cards. -- during the qualifiers. Last couple of minutes of the first

:01:39. > :02:18.half. SIMON BROTHERTON: Victor Ibarbo.

:02:19. > :02:40.Interception by Katsouranis. Decent play here by Greece. Not much

:02:41. > :02:45.room to manoeuvre. They are still coming forward. Kone! Brings a save

:02:46. > :02:57.from Ospina. KEVIN KILBANE: That was much better.

:02:58. > :03:02.Good, incisive run from Gekas, getting forward, getting inside.

:03:03. > :03:08.Good cover from Sanchez. Once it's fallen to Kone, decent strike. You

:03:09. > :03:10.can see what he is trying to do. Comfortable save, it really was. It

:03:11. > :03:17.looked great. Greece trying to build-up a head of

:03:18. > :03:19.steam with half-time on the horizon. All hands on deck for Colombia. One

:03:20. > :03:40.minute of added time. So, finally, David Ospina required

:03:41. > :03:42.to make a save. It was a decent effort. The first effort on target

:03:43. > :03:50.from Greece in the match. That's the key for Greece, to get

:03:51. > :03:55.forward. It is to get the ball into Gekas's feet and they have to get

:03:56. > :03:58.support around him. Colombia look a team who have got more

:03:59. > :04:04.possibilities, don't they? Yeah, they do. Certainly with Ibarbo

:04:05. > :04:06.coming off the left-hand side and the real raw pace from Cuadrado down

:04:07. > :04:28.the right-hand side. And there goes the half-time

:04:29. > :04:32.whistle. Colombia, having made an excellent start, scoring in the

:04:33. > :04:37.sixth minute of the game through that man there, Pablo Armero,

:04:38. > :04:49.latterly of West Ham in the second half of the current season, the shot

:04:50. > :04:54.deflecting in off Manolas. Ospina, with little to do in the Colombian

:04:55. > :04:58.goal, just making that save from Panagiotis Kone shortly before the

:04:59. > :05:03.break. First half reaction and analysis coming up. In Belo

:05:04. > :05:10.Horizonte, it is Colombia 1, Greece 0.

:05:11. > :05:16.The atmosphere at fever pitch with so many Colombian fans inside the

:05:17. > :05:26.stadium. And the first match in Group C is under way. Lovely bit of

:05:27. > :05:32.skill. It's crept in! What a start. We have only been playing for five

:05:33. > :05:36.minutes. A united side has made a wonderful start.

:05:37. > :05:45.GARY LINEKER: Another open half of football and this tournament is very

:05:46. > :05:52.colourful. The Colombians are enjoying themselves, Juninho? They

:05:53. > :05:59.are enjoying it. You could see by the dancing. Ramirez is very famous

:06:00. > :06:02.in Brazil by his dancing. The full-backs like to go forward to

:06:03. > :06:06.give option to the frontline. After they scored the goal, they stepped

:06:07. > :06:12.back and give some space to Greece to play. It can be a dangerous

:06:13. > :06:17.second half. It has been an intriguing second half? We got what

:06:18. > :06:20.we wanted, Colombia to get the first goal, so Greece have to come out now

:06:21. > :06:22.and get something out of the game. They have had plenty of possession,

:06:23. > :06:28.but no penetration at the minute. They have had plenty of possession,

:06:29. > :06:38.Clarence, this World Cup, it seems to me to be the opposite of the one

:06:39. > :06:42.four years ago. This has been a refreshing start? We did well

:06:43. > :06:46.criticising that four years ago. They are all going for the win. And

:06:47. > :06:53.that makes it all much more exciting. Also for Greece, they have

:06:54. > :06:57.qualities. It is very good that they scored so early. As we said,

:06:58. > :07:03.Colombia has great players up front. They are creating a lot of important

:07:04. > :07:06.chances. Clarence, Greece's last three, in their three World Cups,

:07:07. > :07:09.they have conceded a goal in the first seven minutes of all three

:07:10. > :07:15.games that they have played, which is not the way to start? No.

:07:16. > :07:23.games that they have played, which a story beside everything. Greece

:07:24. > :07:32.didn't come out as they wanted. Looking at this game, Cuadrado has a

:07:33. > :07:36.lot of skills. He gave the space, he went into space.

:07:37. > :07:45.We have Cuadrado ready to go. Look at the space behind the left-back.

:07:46. > :07:49.He's been doing this the whole season with Fiorentina. The two

:07:50. > :07:51.strikers are positioned very well. One is coming to the ball and the

:07:52. > :07:53.other one could receive One is coming to the ball and the

:07:54. > :08:02.directly and go for the goal. One is coming to the ball and the

:08:03. > :08:06.Then the presence in the box of the two strikers.

:08:07. > :08:07.Then the presence in the box of the post and the left-back, another

:08:08. > :08:16.midfielder coming in and the left-back finishing. It was a great

:08:17. > :08:20.attack. This is Colombia. A lot of attacking players, you know. This

:08:21. > :08:27.has to be hard to see as a goalkeeper, the ball going in that

:08:28. > :08:33.slowly(!) It takes some beating, this fella! A team that prides

:08:34. > :08:36.themselves on their defensive record, their line there was

:08:37. > :08:38.terrible. The centre-halves trying to play offside. They get in behind

:08:39. > :08:44.them. Colombia playing, they like to play offside. They get in behind

:08:45. > :08:51.push people forward, which is great to see? Yes, when Colombian player

:08:52. > :08:55.has the ball, they always think forward. That is good for them.

:08:56. > :09:00.That makes the game quicker. about - the Greeks, to be fair, they

:09:01. > :09:06.came back and had their chances? about - the Greeks, to be fair, they

:09:07. > :09:11.straight after the Colombian goal, they get this chance.

:09:12. > :09:16.Samaras on the overlap. This is where you want Samaras in these

:09:17. > :09:22.positions. That is a great chance, Gary. That should have been the

:09:23. > :09:26.equaliser. You always feel at a set-piece, anything could happen.

:09:27. > :09:30.This is the one that would be driving me crazy. Samaras, with all

:09:31. > :09:37.his ability, you want him to drive into the box and get a shot off. He

:09:38. > :09:40.stops the ball, and there is no conviction. That is really poor. If

:09:41. > :09:46.Greece are to get back into the game, they need Samaras to step up.

:09:47. > :09:48.They get a break here, Gekas, Samaras should get there first, he

:09:49. > :09:53.doesn't. It breaks to Kone. Samaras should get there first, he

:09:54. > :09:58.shot, but a comfortable save. They are still in the game at 1-0. If

:09:59. > :10:03.anything, Colombia looked slightly weak defensively? Yeah, I mean, I

:10:04. > :10:08.wouldn't say Greece are the most creative team. They have had three

:10:09. > :10:10.or four very good chances. When you give attacking full-backs going

:10:11. > :10:11.forward and you lose the ball in transition, there is all the space

:10:12. > :10:24.to exploit. What have you made of the Greek team

:10:25. > :10:29.so far? A little bit slow. There's no vertical balls. I think they need

:10:30. > :10:35.to risk a little bit more, to play the ball forward. Sometimes when it

:10:36. > :10:41.is too slow, like Neil said, it is easy to mark. The Colombian players

:10:42. > :10:46.are quick, so they go back quickly as a back four, so Greece needs to

:10:47. > :10:51.play faster than they did. Clarence, I know you have had a real look at

:10:52. > :10:56.Colombia's tactics in that first half? Yes. What Juninho saying about

:10:57. > :11:00.Greece being slow, especially after the first goal.

:11:01. > :11:07.Here we have the precision game of Colombia. Always somebody free,

:11:08. > :11:11.always somebody making a run. First touches, quality play, they have the

:11:12. > :11:15.always somebody making a run. First players for it in front. Cuadrado,

:11:16. > :11:20.always somebody making a run. First he comes to the ball, he goes in the

:11:21. > :11:22.space, then they take their position off Cuadrado. If Cuadrado goes

:11:23. > :11:28.right, another player will off Cuadrado. If Cuadrado goes

:11:29. > :11:32.position. Here again, you know, Cuadrado getting the ball again,

:11:33. > :11:35.always trying to, as Juninho said before, trying to make a run up

:11:36. > :11:43.front, trying to create something and that always worries a defender.

:11:44. > :11:51.Look how many Greece players are there. I haven't seen Greece coming

:11:52. > :11:57.in the game. Here again, first touch, running players, he tried to

:11:58. > :12:01.shoot at goal. It was not a bad idea to pass it. Again, Cuadrado, you

:12:02. > :12:05.know, pushing forward, making pressure. Good to see.

:12:06. > :12:11.Cuadrado has spooked the left-back. He doesn't know whether to go with

:12:12. > :12:15.him or drop off. He has him on toast! Doesn't know whether to stick

:12:16. > :12:16.or twist. It is now just over five hours to kick-off in Manaus and

:12:17. > :13:01.counting. We can go back to the Arena Amazonia

:13:02. > :13:06.with Dan and Guy. Welcome back to the Amazon, everybody! We have given

:13:07. > :13:19.Danny Murphy and Philip Neville a lie down. We have Guy Mowbray, who

:13:20. > :13:23.hopefully will be calling more than three games. In the build-up to

:13:24. > :13:27.this, England have been asked a lot of questions about the psychological

:13:28. > :13:31.scars of that game two years ago. Are they still there? I don't think

:13:32. > :13:35.so. I don't think footballers think like that. We do, we dig out all the

:13:36. > :13:38.stats and the history. But when it comes to playing the next game, I

:13:39. > :13:45.don't think they look back and think about things in any detail. Of

:13:46. > :13:49.course, tactics will be prepared in accordance with how Pirlo dictated

:13:50. > :13:52.the game. Less than half the team playing that day will be playing in

:13:53. > :13:55.this one. They didn't lose the game. They got a battering in the great

:13:56. > :14:01.context of it, but they didn't lose a game. England have not lost a

:14:02. > :14:05.competitive international since 4-1 against Germany, 22 games unbeaten.

:14:06. > :14:08.Italy, seven games without a win, that is mainly friendlies, but they

:14:09. > :14:12.have drawn six and lost one. They are not in great form. They have a

:14:13. > :14:19.problem with Buffon being out. They have an inexperienced defence.

:14:20. > :14:23.People will be getting carried away! It is a very even contest. During

:14:24. > :14:27.the World Cup, the referee has been a central figure. What do you know

:14:28. > :14:30.about the gentleman who will be taking control of tonight's game?

:14:31. > :14:37.That is something the players will have been relieved at. They will

:14:38. > :14:40.have taken ones glance. He is a referee whose style they will be

:14:41. > :14:43.familiar with. He was the top man for the Champions League Final. He

:14:44. > :14:53.let that flow. That could have sparked, that game. He let that

:14:54. > :14:57.flow. I'm hopeful that we won't notice him too much. Guy will be

:14:58. > :15:01.calling the game tonight. His seat will be up there in the main stand,

:15:02. > :15:04.in the blue bits. During the World Cup, we are asking you to get

:15:05. > :15:12.involved to show us where you will be watching the World Cup games. Use

:15:13. > :15:16.the hashtag on Twitter and Facebook. This was my World Cup seat in one of

:15:17. > :15:19.the airports in Rio, watching Brazil's opening game. Quite a few

:15:20. > :15:29.missed their flights after that one! We want you to keep sending them

:15:30. > :15:37.through. I support England and this is my World Cup seat! His name is

:15:38. > :15:44.Roger. He supports Uruguay. We have had loads of pictures sent in. This

:15:45. > :15:51.is Benjamin knight. He has an impressive man cave. Dean might be

:15:52. > :15:56.standing, but those look like three perfect World Cup seats! Well done

:15:57. > :16:01.to Dean and poor Diane Ward whose seat has been sabotaged by the cat!

:16:02. > :16:06.Finally, our man Rio has been out in Rio before the match tonight and he

:16:07. > :16:10.had a pretty good view, too. What a beautiful city. I'm having the time

:16:11. > :16:12.of my life. The next time you see me in a seat, I will be in the studio

:16:13. > :16:25.with Gary and the boys. Take care. GARY LINEKER: Great stuff. England's

:16:26. > :16:30.women footballers have been in action today. They won 3-0 in

:16:31. > :16:38.Belarus to stay top of the group. They remain on course for next

:16:39. > :16:40.year's World Cup. They have won all seven qual fillers now without

:16:41. > :16:46.conceding a goal. Imagine if England do that in their next seven games!

:16:47. > :16:50.The second half of Colombia versus Greece is coming up. First, a

:16:51. > :16:54.reminder there are plenty of ways to enjoy our coverage over the next

:16:55. > :16:58.five weeks. Who are we going to phone? We are not. You can share in

:16:59. > :17:03.all the excitement of the World Cup thanks to the BBC. But we are going

:17:04. > :17:10.there. Watch the evening games at home and join the conversation, here

:17:11. > :17:17.or here. Also ideal for catching those late-night games in bed. Catch

:17:18. > :17:26.the late afternoon games on the go, listen on Radio Five Live. How do

:17:27. > :17:32.you do that with a phone? Are you working for the BBC?

:17:33. > :17:42.The second half is coming up shortly.

:17:43. > :17:48.game goes on, the more Greece will have to take chances?

:17:49. > :17:56.I guess, it will give Colombia more chances to counterattack. Sometimes

:17:57. > :18:04.when you are leading in these games up, it can lead to an element of

:18:05. > :18:12.caution? Subconsciously, you can go deeper at 1-0, that invites pressure

:18:13. > :18:16.from the opposition. They need a goal, Greece, they will be positive

:18:17. > :18:23.in their thinking. Colombia, more of the same? They will start the same,

:18:24. > :18:26.the coach will ask them to start as they started first half and maybe

:18:27. > :18:33.after a while set back, weight and counterattack. They look to me like

:18:34. > :18:36.a team that likes to go forward, I think

:18:37. > :18:42.a team that likes to go forward, I same? Absolutely, absolutely. OK, we

:18:43. > :18:49.can hand back to Estadio Mineirao, they are about to kick off the

:18:50. > :18:50.second half. They are still in the tunnel, but we can rejoin our

:18:51. > :19:04.commentators. Colombia's players, gathering ahead

:19:05. > :19:07.of the second half. Greece, their opponents, don't concede goals

:19:08. > :19:12.easily although they did concede early today. In many respects, they

:19:13. > :19:18.are similar to the team that played under Otto Rehhagel for although the

:19:19. > :19:21.years, they are tough to break down. But the current coach, Fernando

:19:22. > :19:23.Santos, is trying to give them a more attacking edge. They are going

:19:24. > :19:27.to need it in this second half. more attacking edge. They are going

:19:28. > :19:34.do you think Santos will have been suggesting to his players at

:19:35. > :19:36.half-time? You heard Neil Lennon suggesting getting

:19:37. > :19:41.half-time? You heard Neil Lennon Gekas, they might need to bring

:19:42. > :19:45.Mitroglou on to give them a different option upfront. Overall,

:19:46. > :19:53.they are not causing any problems for the Colombian defence. You have

:19:54. > :19:58.been impressed with Carlos Sanchez and Aguilar in the holding

:19:59. > :20:05.positions? Yes, they have done a great job in discouraging forward

:20:06. > :20:09.passes to Gekas. That has been the platform for Colombia to build up

:20:10. > :20:15.from, allowing the front four to get forward and really cause problems

:20:16. > :20:20.for the Greek defence. As the teams come out, no changes made by either

:20:21. > :20:27.manager at half-time. There is the man who has

:20:28. > :20:30.manager at half-time. There is the goal that separates the two sides. A

:20:31. > :20:38.big crowd here in Belo Horizonte for this one, 50 7174. The stadium,

:20:39. > :20:40.hosting six matches in the World Cup, including England against Costa

:20:41. > :20:57.Rica and one of the semifinals. Greek support, dotted amongst a sea

:20:58. > :20:58.of yellow. Yes, incredible support for the Colombians, certainly making

:20:59. > :21:14.a lot of noise here. The referee, from the United States,

:21:15. > :21:15.gets as underway. He was one of the officials at the Olympic Games in

:21:16. > :21:31.London a couple of summers ago. Have Greece got the credulity and

:21:32. > :21:37.conviction to take the game to Colombia, who looks threatening when

:21:38. > :21:50.they break forward? -- creativity and conviction stop --.

:21:51. > :22:02.Zuniga always looks to get forward. He has got real attacking quality.

:22:03. > :22:12.Only just making it to the World Cup, he missed so much time in the

:22:13. > :22:16.last season with only injury. When you have two holding midfielders,

:22:17. > :22:54.you know you always have cover. No penalty says the referee. He was

:22:55. > :23:02.well placed behind the plate. -- the play. It was great feat from

:23:03. > :23:12.Samaras, a good incisive running about the beat to all three players.

:23:13. > :23:57.He clearly signalled to the referee, no penalty.

:23:58. > :24:11.It was aimed towards Gutierrez, but away by Papastathopoulos.

:24:12. > :24:19.Samaras tried to pick out money at his, but it was Yepes who stretched

:24:20. > :24:25.to clear the ball -- pick out money at his.

:24:26. > :25:03.I mentioned before this is the best: B team the Valder Rama, Asprilla,

:25:04. > :25:07.Higuita days. Will we see more of them in the second half. -- the best

:25:08. > :25:59.face macro team. -- Colombia team. We are getting to the stage now

:26:00. > :26:07.where Fernando Santos, the Greek coach... There is a Radamel Falcao,

:26:08. > :26:12.who is here with his team-mates. The crowd in the stadium, reacting to

:26:13. > :26:18.seeing him on the big screen. Invited to spend a couple of days

:26:19. > :26:24.with the team around this match. He is a huge miss for them. Would be a

:26:25. > :26:31.huge miss for anyone. is a huge miss for them. Would be a

:26:32. > :26:41.this delivered that one in at a fair old rate of knots. -- Torosidis.

:26:42. > :26:50.Heavily reliant on the likes of Torosidis to get forward. Difficult

:26:51. > :26:56.for them to get behind the Colombian back line, in the first half

:26:57. > :26:58.especially. Rodriguez is seeing a bit more of the ball in this second

:26:59. > :27:36.half. A little slip there in the centre by

:27:37. > :27:43.Manolas. It was a good challenge in the end by Katsouranis. He cut the

:27:44. > :27:48.through ball out. Rodriguez, looking to pull a few strings now for

:27:49. > :27:53.Colombia. Ibarbo was upended there. That is going to be the second card

:27:54. > :28:00.of the game. It goes to Papastathopoulos. He was actually

:28:01. > :28:05.sent off in the opening match of Euro 2012, rather harshly. Not so

:28:06. > :28:13.harshly booked today. Heavy challenge, tackle from behind as

:28:14. > :28:20.well. The US official deemed it a yellow card.

:28:21. > :28:29.Not a bad spot from Colombia 's point of view to get a free kick.

:28:30. > :28:53.You would imagine Rodriguez here, with his ability.

:28:54. > :29:00.The referee is finally happy that the wall is back far enough.

:29:01. > :29:12.The wall did its job. The shot was no threat whatsoever from Cuadrado.

:29:13. > :29:16.The wall did its job, it was a big wall. A change coming shortly from

:29:17. > :29:30.Fetfatzidis is going to come on in Greece, the first of the match.

:29:31. > :29:41.Fetfatzidis is going to come on in the next minute or two.

:29:42. > :29:48.Fernando Santos needs an injection into this Greek side. Very much

:29:49. > :29:56.lacklustre into this Greek side. Very much

:29:57. > :29:58.the second half so far. Fetfatzidis is usually used as an impact sub by

:29:59. > :30:03.his club is usually used as an impact sub by

:30:04. > :30:06.will be looking for him to make an impact here. He has just finished

:30:07. > :30:25.Armero just loves to come forward at Genoa.

:30:26. > :30:30.Armero just loves to come forward at every opportunity, he was fouled by

:30:31. > :30:32.Salpingidis, who will be booked. He had the space to go into. A good run

:30:33. > :30:48.from left-back. Driving inside. He just caught him around the back

:30:49. > :31:04.of the car. Second Greek player to go into the book in the

:31:05. > :31:10.The diving header from Ibarbo, in the end very comfortable for

:31:11. > :31:11.The diving header from Ibarbo, in Greek keeper. A really good ball to

:31:12. > :31:59.the far post. Rodriguez, conceding the free kick

:32:00. > :32:03.for his challenge. He is very talented on the ball, Rodriguez, but

:32:04. > :32:08.that was good defending from Papastathopoulos. Monaco paid

:32:09. > :32:15.that was good defending from of money for him, 37 million.

:32:16. > :32:23.Salpingidis goes off. And his replacement, Fetfatzidis. His plan

:32:24. > :32:31.was pretty good at the end of the season, he got a couple of goals in

:32:32. > :32:34.the last few matches of the season. They will be looking for a little

:32:35. > :32:53.creativity and trickery from him. SIMON BROTHERTON: The challenge by

:32:54. > :33:00.Samaras. He's conceded SIMON BROTHERTON: The challenge by

:33:01. > :33:09.here. Taken quickly by Cuadrado. It will be Colombia who have the

:33:10. > :33:51.corner. KEVIN KILBANE: It was not a great

:33:52. > :34:04.ball from Rodriguez, it was underhit. Great movement across the

:34:05. > :34:09.near post from Aguilar. A simple finish from him. Aguilar made the

:34:10. > :34:15.goal, though. It fell so nicely for Gutierrez. Great moment for the

:34:16. > :34:19.River Plate striker. He will be feeling the pressure. It is he who

:34:20. > :34:23.is leading the attack in the absence of Radamel Falcao. He has been

:34:24. > :34:35.chosen above Bacca and above Martinez, who have scored a hatful

:34:36. > :34:47.of goals this season. He had a decent qualification. His movement,

:34:48. > :34:49.his work rate creates the space for Falcao.

:34:50. > :35:16.Holebas for Greece. The crowd in a celebratory mood here. We still have

:35:17. > :35:28.just over half an hour to go. Can Greece fight back?

:35:29. > :35:38.Torosidis! He nearly found Samaras there, who tried to cut in. Good

:35:39. > :35:43.ball from Torosidis. there, who tried to cut in. Good

:35:44. > :35:45.from Samaras. Looking for a bit more from Gekas up front. He is very

:35:46. > :35:59.static in his movement. Katsouranis is trying to get things

:36:00. > :36:03.moving for Greece. The foul committed by Abel Aguilar.

:36:04. > :36:23.Katsouranis with the free-kick. The deflection is adjudged to have

:36:24. > :36:29.come off the Greek player. It will be a goal kick to Colombia. It

:36:30. > :36:37.certainly looked a foul. Good feet from Fetfatzidis. Yeah. He's thrown

:36:38. > :36:54.himself over. We have seen players go over very easily. Yepes won't

:36:55. > :36:59.like it much if Fetfatzidis starting running at him. -- if Fetfatzidis

:37:00. > :37:07.starts running at him. Just inside the last half-hour of

:37:08. > :37:50.this World Cup match in Belo Horizonte. Foul by Cuadrado.

:37:51. > :37:57.Greece prepare to make another change. Kostas Mitroglou, I think,

:37:58. > :38:09.will be coming on in the next few minutes here. Two goals down.

:38:10. > :38:23.Final words of instruction from the coach, Fernando Santos.

:38:24. > :38:34.Torosidis It's off the bar. Gekas so close.

:38:35. > :38:40.Now, are Greece going to get caught at the other end? It is James

:38:41. > :38:45.Rodriguez for Colombia. Still Rodriguez. In tend, there was time

:38:46. > :38:52.for Greece to just thump the ball out of play. So close to getting a

:38:53. > :38:57.goal back there. That sums up Gekas's day. Brilliant chance for

:38:58. > :39:04.him. How did he miss? He has to score there.

:39:05. > :39:11.Theofanis Gekas hasn't reduce that deficit. It's the last

:39:12. > :39:18.touch of the ball that he will have today. He will have plenty of time

:39:19. > :39:27.to sit on the bench and reflect on it now. Gekas is off and Kostas

:39:28. > :39:33.Mitroglou of Fulham is on. He was their top scorer in qualifying. As

:39:34. > :39:36.Fulham fans will know, he's had a knee problem which has kept him out

:39:37. > :39:42.for most of the second half of the season. It's kept him out of the

:39:43. > :39:46.starting line-up. Fully fit and match-sharp, he would be the man to

:39:47. > :39:51.lead the line up front. That has been the problem for the coach,

:39:52. > :39:54.Fernando Santos. He feels he is not quite right. This is a good

:39:55. > :39:58.opportunity for him. Just spare a thought for Gekas going off with

:39:59. > :40:11.that miss, the last kick of the game. Free-kick

:40:12. > :40:36.Look at the space here for Rodriguez.

:40:37. > :40:58.Greece trying to find a goal that help out

:40:59. > :40:59.Greece trying to find a goal that would at least give them a foothold

:41:00. > :41:05.in the match. would at least give them a foothold

:41:06. > :41:08.on the counter. It is very slow. In it comes from Torosidis. It was me

:41:09. > :41:09.on the counter. It is very slow. In who put in the delivery for Gekas a

:41:10. > :41:37.few Jackson Martinez is preparing to

:41:38. > :41:57.come on. Strong words being spoken amongst

:41:58. > :42:04.the Greek defenders at the moment. There is Jackson Martinez. He scored

:42:05. > :42:14.20 goals in 30 matches in the league for Porto this season. Some

:42:15. > :42:17.instructions from Jose Pekerman to Victor Ibarbo during a break in

:42:18. > :42:30.play. Back with the game now. Gutierrez.

:42:31. > :43:00.Rodriguez was adjudged to have committed a foul under the referee's

:43:01. > :43:34.nose. Greece playing South American

:43:35. > :43:37.opposition for the third time in the World Cup Finals, beaten by

:43:38. > :43:41.Argentina in the other two. They have an awful lot to do here in what

:43:42. > :43:46.remains of this game, the final quarter of this match.

:43:47. > :43:53.Here comes the first of those changes, Alexander Mejia, a

:43:54. > :43:57.defensive midfield player is going to come on to replace Abel Aguilar.

:43:58. > :44:11.This is his ninth cap. All nine have come off the bench.

:44:12. > :44:26.Jackson Martinez will have to wait a little longer. Mitroglou offside.

:44:27. > :44:33.He went too early, Mitroglou. Good defensive organisation there. Yepes,

:44:34. > :44:49.the captain at the far side. It was aimed towards Teofilo

:44:50. > :45:43.Gutierrez, the scorer of the second goal. A bit of space.

:45:44. > :45:56.The shot was deflected wide. That is better from Samaras. A good touch.

:45:57. > :46:00.Here it is once again. It was Yepes who came out to make the block.

:46:01. > :46:05.Again, they got bodies around the ball. It's difficult for the Greeks

:46:06. > :46:10.to play around them. 20 minutes to go.

:46:11. > :46:17.It will be interesting if Greece could get a goal now. Away off the

:46:18. > :46:24.captain's head, Yepes, towards Cuadrado.

:46:25. > :46:30.Whipped in there towards Kostas Mitroglou. Decisively punched away

:46:31. > :46:46.by Ospina. Rodriguez is in an acre of space. He

:46:47. > :46:49.was also offside for a good portion of that play. Just managed to move

:46:50. > :46:54.back in time. Armero, the scorer of the first

:46:55. > :47:19.goal. Colombia are comfortable in

:47:20. > :47:30.possession. Rodriguez turning into the challenge

:47:31. > :48:10.of Maniatis. I think Rodriguez wanted it played a

:48:11. > :48:29.bit more quickly, but Colombia are happy to take their time.

:48:30. > :48:34.There was only Samaras going beyond Mitroglou, no support at all. They

:48:35. > :48:47.need a goal to get them back in the game. That effort from Mitroglou

:48:48. > :48:51.struck the hand of Yepes. A difficult one for the referee to

:48:52. > :48:57.call. It was outside the box anyway, I think. Jackson Martinez,

:48:58. > :49:03.call. It was outside the box anyway, ready to come on a few minutes ago,

:49:04. > :49:16.has put his bid back on and Santiago Arias is coming on instead.

:49:17. > :49:26.Pablo Armero, who gave them such a fast start with that early goal,

:49:27. > :49:28.here it is again. He is replaced and predictably gets a standing ovation

:49:29. > :49:48.from the largely Colombian crowd. Santiago Arias, a right back with

:49:49. > :49:51.PSV, normally, he made his international debut in the final

:49:52. > :49:58.qualifying game and kept his place for the friendlies when Zuniga was

:49:59. > :50:05.injured. He did really well against a Eden Hazard when they play Belgium

:50:06. > :50:09.last year. Playing at left-back at the moment. Greece look more

:50:10. > :50:36.purposeful. He just pushed it too far, Cuadrado.

:50:37. > :50:58.Plenty of space for him to run into, it

:50:59. > :51:09.Cuadrado won't get there, it will be a goal kick. He had a simple pass on

:51:10. > :51:14.Tommy didn't need to clip it. And now Jackson Martinez does get an

:51:15. > :51:21.opportunity. Gutierrez, who scored the second goal here from close

:51:22. > :51:26.range, after 58 minutes, is replaced for the final quarter of an hour.

:51:27. > :51:29.That is one that for the final quarter of an hour.

:51:30. > :51:34.have been proud of, a predator in the six yard box!

:51:35. > :51:39.have been proud of, a predator in who scored 29 goals in all

:51:40. > :52:19.competitions in the past season, makes his World Cup bow.

:52:20. > :52:38.Arias decided he had an opportunity to test the keeper. Always looking

:52:39. > :52:39.to get onto his right foot. Good movement on his left from James

:52:40. > :52:53.Rodriguez. Don't forget, England's opening

:52:54. > :52:54.match against Manaus is live tonight at 10:20 p.m.. The match kicks off

:52:55. > :53:08.at 11 p.m.. Here in Belo Horizonte, the clock is

:53:09. > :53:14.ticking a bit for Greece. They prepare to make another change.

:53:15. > :53:39.Karagounis is going to come on, the midfielder.

:53:40. > :53:54.Here comes the change now, with Kone the man to be replaced.

:53:55. > :54:03.Karagounis has been around the block a few times. Captain for so many

:54:04. > :54:07.years, record appearance holder, winning his 136 Capcom he will

:54:08. > :54:11.finally retire from international duty at the end the World Cup. This

:54:12. > :54:18.is his fifth major international tournament. Incredible career.

:54:19. > :54:25.He has missed a couple of the the final of the year rose ten years

:54:26. > :54:26.ago and was also suspended for the quarterfinal of the European

:54:27. > :54:42.Championship in Poland. Better pressure, that is what they

:54:43. > :54:46.need to do. Mitroglou, going forward, looking to close down

:54:47. > :54:59.Yepes. Pekerman, looking more animated as well on the touchline.

:55:00. > :55:12.Papastathopoulos felt he was being held by Jackson Martinez.

:55:13. > :55:27.Just looking for a bit more from the Greeks going forward, just need a

:55:28. > :55:32.goal to get themselves back into the game, they have offered very little.

:55:33. > :55:36.As it stands, Greece are going to have to get something from their

:55:37. > :55:43.second match against Greece in a few days time. Colombia, facing Ivory

:55:44. > :55:56.Coast in Brasilia in their second match. Could be a game to savour.

:55:57. > :56:32.Throw into Greece as we go into the last ten minutes of the match.

:56:33. > :56:38.What do you think about the impact of Ibarbo, who was chosen ahead of

:56:39. > :56:42.What do you think about the impact Martinez? I think he has played

:56:43. > :56:46.well, started on the left-hand side, come in off the left-hand side to

:56:47. > :56:51.support Gutierrez for the majority of the game. He has caused problems,

:56:52. > :57:14.got lots of, talent, certainly an eye-catching player.

:57:15. > :57:22.Most of Karagounis's appearances these days do come off the bench.

:57:23. > :57:28.He's not really a 90 minute man these days. But he is still an

:57:29. > :57:50.integral part of the Greek setup, an influential part.

:57:51. > :57:58.Torosidis was challenged by Zuniga. Again, it has got to be Samaras who

:57:59. > :58:05.provides the spark, the forward-thinking pass. They need to

:58:06. > :58:09.get him on the ball. He is the only one. The only one that's really

:58:10. > :59:07.looking to create something. If Greece could just sneak a goal,

:59:08. > :59:09.it might set us up for a grandstand finish, but few signs of it at this

:59:10. > :59:36.moment. The touch back from Martinez was a

:59:37. > :00:08.little heavy. He had runners around him will

:00:09. > :00:17.Samaras tried to place it and couldn't quite find the bottom

:00:18. > :00:23.corner. It was a really good run from Torosidis as well. Cut back to

:00:24. > :00:25.Samaras, he tried to bend it in the far corner, away to bend it in the

:00:26. > :00:45.far corner, awaited -- I'm lucky. They weren't favoured to get out of

:00:46. > :00:49.the group, Greece, it will get much more difficult for them now,

:00:50. > :00:54.particularly when you say they have to play Japan and Ivory Coast. There

:00:55. > :01:00.are no comfortable games at the World Cup, but it has been

:01:01. > :01:37.comfortable from a defensive point of

:01:38. > :01:42.Martinez found himself rapidly surrounded. He did well to buy the

:01:43. > :01:54.foul, The free kick, conceded by

:01:55. > :02:03.Karagounis. Victor Ibarbo, The free kick, conceded by

:02:04. > :02:07.who is going to take it. Sanchez has done a good job shielding the

:02:08. > :02:21.It's already turning into a excellent, he has done a great job.

:02:22. > :02:23.It's already turning into a celebratory mode for the Colombian

:02:24. > :02:46.fans. SIMON BROTHERTON: Samaras is making

:02:47. > :03:04.tracks far side. KEVIN KILBANE: There's been very

:03:05. > :03:08.little going in behind him as well, so he's found it easy playing

:03:09. > :03:12.alongside Sanchez. Into the last three minutes of the 90. Good play

:03:13. > :03:18.by Samaras. Still going. Trickery from Cuadrado. Possession

:03:19. > :04:12.from Colombia. Once he took the touch, Martinez was

:04:13. > :04:15.trying to find Cuadrado on the right-hand side, but the pass was

:04:16. > :04:19.poor. That is what you get from Martinez. He gives the ball away

:04:20. > :04:25.cheaply at times, but he can score goals.

:04:26. > :04:39.The final whistle very much on the horizon. Just over a minute

:04:40. > :04:43.remaining of the 90, plus any added-on time.

:04:44. > :04:48.Rodriguez, he has time, he has space. He's got Martinez in the box

:04:49. > :04:58.if he needs him. Greece, just as they have done in

:04:59. > :05:05.all but one of the matches they have ever played in the World Cup Finals,

:05:06. > :05:08.are going to lose this one. It will be six defeats from seven in the

:05:09. > :05:15.World Cup and six matches from seven in which they have failed to score,

:05:16. > :05:19.unliss -- unless they can get a late one here. Very good performance from

:05:20. > :05:57.Colombia today. They are a strong side.

:05:58. > :06:21.That's a poor ball. High, loopy cross, easy for the defence to deal

:06:22. > :06:24.with, really. What have you made of Colombia today? Lots of talk going

:06:25. > :06:30.into the tournament - maybe a year ago, they were one of the fancied

:06:31. > :06:33.sides but the Falcao injury changed things. They have had other injuries

:06:34. > :06:36.to players who are not so well-known, but are also very

:06:37. > :06:42.important. How do you feel they have looked today in this opening match?

:06:43. > :06:45.I think the top two will probably come from them or the Ivory Coast.

:06:46. > :06:49.Judging them on today's performance, they have been comfortable, they

:06:50. > :06:54.have looked solid at the back and they have a lot of pace and power

:06:55. > :06:57.going forward. Once they get out of the group, it will be difficult to

:06:58. > :07:00.stop them with the pace and power they have got. Difficult to play

:07:01. > :07:09.against. They have bags of support here as well.

:07:10. > :07:25.Greece will rue that missed chance in the second half when Gekas

:07:26. > :07:29.rattled the cross bar with a free header from close range. It was a

:07:30. > :07:38.terrible miss. He should have scored.

:07:39. > :07:52.We are almost finished here in Belo Horizonte.

:07:53. > :07:58.Perhaps time for one last attack from Colombia.

:07:59. > :08:14.Cuadrado is eager to burst forward. Cuadrado, Rodriguez! 3-0!

:08:15. > :08:30.James Rodriguez completes the job. Three goals, three points,

:08:31. > :08:34.impressive start for Colombia! It's a quickly-taken free-kick. It was

:08:35. > :08:40.quickly played into Cuadrado. Great run from him forward and a wonderful

:08:41. > :08:44.finish at the end of it. Really good, incisive run from Cuadrado on

:08:45. > :08:58.the right-hand side, really good finish from him into the far corner.

:08:59. > :09:03.They used to call Carlos Valderrama "the king" and Rodriguez is "the new

:09:04. > :09:14.King". Going forward, they have been a

:09:15. > :09:18.threat. They have looked really clinical when they have got into

:09:19. > :09:24.positions today. A strong Colombian side and they will be difficult to

:09:25. > :09:27.stop in this World Cup. It rounds off a successful sun-drenched

:09:28. > :09:30.afternoon in Belo Horizonte for Colombia. Virtually the last kick of

:09:31. > :09:46.the match. We have had more than our three

:09:47. > :10:00.minutes now. Just seconds remaining. Greece have been well beaten.

:10:01. > :10:04.Colombia ending the match nicely. A comfortable win for Jose Pekerman's

:10:05. > :10:09.team. The final score in Belo Horizonte - Colombia 3, Greece 0.

:10:10. > :10:14.GARY LINEKER: Let the carnival begin! A joyous start for the

:10:15. > :10:18.Colombians and begin! A joyous start for the

:10:19. > :10:24.supporters. A vibrant yellow mass will be celebrating this victory, we

:10:25. > :10:25.suspect, long into the night. Eclipsing the support for the Host

:10:26. > :10:35.Nation, I think! Great scenes. Great scenes. And a

:10:36. > :10:39.great day for Colombian football. Three points and they lead the

:10:40. > :10:48.group. Japan play the Ivory Coast in the other first round of matches.

:10:49. > :10:54.That's all three South American teams have won so far, Juninho? Yes,

:10:55. > :11:01.that is a good start. It is good to see a team play always forward with

:11:02. > :11:10.a forward mentality and Colombia did that in the whole game. The ball was

:11:11. > :11:11.down and Cuadrado wants to play quick for the third goal and that

:11:12. > :11:19.was why the goal was scored. It's quick for the third goal and that

:11:20. > :11:23.good. Colombia, they quick for the third goal and that

:11:24. > :11:26.expectation and they played well. Which is always the key. You have to

:11:27. > :11:31.cope with that expectation. In the end, three goals, Clarence, they

:11:32. > :11:38.will be delighted? Yes, none of us got it right, though! Close. We had

:11:39. > :11:41.a 2-0 and 3-1. A lot of goals again. Colombia gave us what we expected

:11:42. > :11:51.from them. They were unpredictable. They scored

:11:52. > :11:56.another second fast goal which, of course, gave them all the

:11:57. > :11:59.possibility to play the game they wanted and to wait for the moment.

:12:00. > :12:02.Great celebration, too. Great celebration. This is what we want to

:12:03. > :12:07.see, this is what the World Cup is about. The

:12:08. > :12:11.see, this is what the World Cup is shambles? Samaras can't let anyone

:12:12. > :12:15.get across him. That is his area. It is not a good delivery. The guy gets

:12:16. > :12:21.in between the goalkeeper and defender and it is a tap-in. That is

:12:22. > :12:24.a poor challenge from Samaras and he should know better. Greece shot

:12:25. > :12:29.themselves in the foot today. That makes it 2-0. Then they get a great

:12:30. > :12:31.chance when Gekas misses the header. That would have made it

:12:32. > :12:35.chance when Gekas misses the header. the third goal, in the last minute.

:12:36. > :12:38.They play with a joy, with a freedom. Spectacular football, the

:12:39. > :12:45.last minute of the game. It is a great finish. Nutmegs, backheel, lot

:12:46. > :12:49.of flair in this team and a lot of pace as well. They will cause

:12:50. > :12:52.of flair in this team and a lot of problems. Beautiful finish. Good

:12:53. > :13:01.finish from Rodriguez, who calls himself "James". Jimmy in Scotland!

:13:02. > :13:08.We talked about Rodriguez pre-match and he lived up to expectations?

:13:09. > :13:11.Absolutely. Was wonderful to watch. Always with great presence in the

:13:12. > :13:15.attack, but also defending. What I have seen of the Colombian team,

:13:16. > :13:20.they have really defended as a team. That created a lot of difficulty

:13:21. > :13:24.with the Greeks, who don't have a lot of creative players. The Greeks

:13:25. > :13:31.had some chances, one in particular, Gekas's, how did he miss this? It's

:13:32. > :13:37.a point of the game that you can't miss the chances. It could be a

:13:38. > :13:45.reaction from Greece. It is easy. Head down and... This was our 2-1!

:13:46. > :13:51.Psychologically, it kills the Greeks. Absolutely. They are right

:13:52. > :14:02.in the game again. What a miss. I would have scored that one! In the

:14:03. > :14:08.six losses that they have had out of their seven World Cup matches, they

:14:09. > :14:12.have failed to score. A lot of good crosses in today? Down the

:14:13. > :14:16.right-hand side, second half, with Armero getting forward quite a bit,

:14:17. > :14:20.Torosidis put in two or three fantastic crosses. For a centre

:14:21. > :14:26.forward, sometimes you have to gamble. Here, it's out of his feet,

:14:27. > :14:32.he is going to hit this area, gamble and get across the defender. The

:14:33. > :14:34.goalkeeper catches it at his feet. If someone gambles, it's a goal.

:14:35. > :14:39.There is not much more Torosidis can do. The delivery is brilliant. The

:14:40. > :14:49.ball bounced in the six-yard box. You know, Gary, as a striker

:14:50. > :14:53.yourself... You have to go BEFORE the cross. The ball is bouncing

:14:54. > :14:56.before it reaches the goalie's torso. There are three great

:14:57. > :15:00.opportunities for Greece to get back into the game. It was a frustrating

:15:01. > :15:03.afternoon for Samaras, he is your man. You are equally frustrated with

:15:04. > :15:09.his performance like you are still his manager? Yes, he showed some

:15:10. > :15:12.good things. I think overall he was probably Greece's best attacking

:15:13. > :15:18.player. This is what he is good at. Diving? Yeah, maybe. He got up very

:15:19. > :15:21.quickly and said it wasn't a penalty. He is looking for it when

:15:22. > :15:25.he shouldn't have been. He should have carried on. People

:15:26. > :15:30.underestimate when you are at high-speed, a little touch can be

:15:31. > :15:36.enough to make you fall. A penalty for Brazil, Juninho? If it was a

:15:37. > :15:40.yellow shirt! He is capable of doing that. He didn't do enough of that in

:15:41. > :15:44.the game. For most of the time, there wasn't enough end product.

:15:45. > :15:48.Overall, Colombia are very good. You have slight concerns about part of

:15:49. > :15:54.their game, Clarence? Absolutely. They could do this against Greece,

:15:55. > :15:58.of course, as I said, who had great difficulty in creating. We are in

:15:59. > :16:05.the middle of the second half and you get to the little touches, five

:16:06. > :16:11.players, six players in such small area and open for counterattack.

:16:12. > :16:14.Now, Greece wasn't capable of enjoying those spaces. But here

:16:15. > :16:19.again, look how many players in a short distance. They try to get the

:16:20. > :16:23.result home after 20 minutes. short distance. They try to get the

:16:24. > :16:27.mean, with any other team that has a bit more capacity to do the

:16:28. > :16:31.counterattacks in a proper way, that could be a difficulty for them. OK.

:16:32. > :16:39.It is a beautiful day in Rio. It is 3.00pm, it is Saturday. And the

:16:40. > :16:48.beach is packed, as you might expect. Somewhere down there is Alan

:16:49. > :16:52.Shearer and Rio Ferdinand. They are with Mark Chapman.

:16:53. > :16:56.How do you want England to play? Attacking, open, enjoyable football.

:16:57. > :17:01.I want to be off my seat. I want to be jumping. With pace? Yes. We have

:17:02. > :17:06.enough pace in the squad to really give teams a go and I think the

:17:07. > :17:10.Italian manager, he will be preparing for our forwards and

:17:11. > :17:14.attacking players to be coming at them with pace and being direct,

:17:15. > :17:16.Welbeck, Sturridge, Sterling and Wayne Rooney. You wouldn't want to

:17:17. > :17:42.be playing against that any week. We're hearing it will be well back,

:17:43. > :17:45.on one side, I think if England played to their potential, with

:17:46. > :17:50.fast, flowing, attacking football, we can get a result in this. I don't

:17:51. > :17:57.think anyone should fear the Italians. As fans, we are excited,

:17:58. > :18:01.nervous, before an opening game at a World Cup, how difficult did you

:18:02. > :18:07.find it to control your emotions? You take in all the media, all the

:18:08. > :18:12.news, reported speaking about it, you see the people back home, the

:18:13. > :18:15.expectations, but this time we are lucky, the expectations are more

:18:16. > :18:19.realistic, it's allowing our players to be more relaxed. They are

:18:20. > :18:24.travelling around the city, hopefully they will go out there

:18:25. > :18:28.with a bit of freedom. Coming out of that tackle, you are like a coiled

:18:29. > :18:35.spring, you want to perform and do well. That's most important thing.

:18:36. > :18:41.Did you feel nervous? A little bit, I think, it was more excitement. You

:18:42. > :18:45.want to play, perform and prove to people you are capable of playing

:18:46. > :18:50.there and being one of the better players. As a captain, what

:18:51. > :18:54.responsibility did you feel to make sure your team was calm before you

:18:55. > :18:58.went out there? That's the most important thing, that's where

:18:59. > :19:02.experience comes into it, you can sense the excitement and nerves with

:19:03. > :19:08.the inexperienced guys, it's your job as the coach, manager, to settle

:19:09. > :19:15.things down. Because you have settled down, watched the opening

:19:16. > :19:20.games as a group, now the time is to deliver. The talking stops, now you

:19:21. > :19:23.have to go and perform. We talk about not losing your opening group

:19:24. > :19:31.game but you don't go out just for our point, do you? You don't, you

:19:32. > :19:35.you go out and make sure you get points on the board. Especially in

:19:36. > :19:39.the group we are in, it's a sticky group and we have got to make sure

:19:40. > :19:44.that we go into the game against Uruguay still with something to play

:19:45. > :19:47.for. I'm worried about his head, which probably go in. Let's go, it's

:19:48. > :19:56.burning! They should use a whole bottle of

:19:57. > :20:01.suntan cream on that head. A beautiful place to be this afternoon

:20:02. > :20:09.on that beach. Very popular as well, to English players. Back in Manaus,

:20:10. > :20:20.Denny is with Philip Neville and Danny Murphy. We are still here.

:20:21. > :20:25.These two players are appalled that they have had to come in so early.

:20:26. > :20:30.The game kicks off in a couple of hours time. We had a chat during

:20:31. > :20:34.that game fair, England often come to a major tournament and they are

:20:35. > :20:38.tired, that has been used as an excuse in the past but only Jack

:20:39. > :20:43.Wilshere who played in the cup final, nobody was involved in the

:20:44. > :20:46.Champions' League final, but since May the 11th, other than friendlies,

:20:47. > :20:52.they had almost a month to get ready for this, will that have an impact?

:20:53. > :20:56.I was always a player and felt I needed to carry on, I don't like big

:20:57. > :21:00.gaps between games, some players like the momentum of playing

:21:01. > :21:04.gaps between games, some players in, week out. The tarring fact in

:21:05. > :21:08.our league is we play such a high tempo game, we play a lot of games,

:21:09. > :21:16.that is where we talk about the tiredness -- tiring faxed. I don't

:21:17. > :21:23.get is that important that the players have had an extra week.

:21:24. > :21:28.Would this the right mindset? Steven Gerrard was talking about having no

:21:29. > :21:33.regrets, making sure they don't think, I wish I had done that? You

:21:34. > :21:39.have to get the mental approach spot on. You have, and 60% of the squad

:21:40. > :21:41.have never been to a major tournament before, they are

:21:42. > :21:47.experiencing this for the first time. It is up to the experienced

:21:48. > :21:50.players to pass on their knowledge and when they come out here today,

:21:51. > :21:57.we will know if they are ready to play in a World Cup. He said, your

:21:58. > :22:01.biggest regret was being injured and missing out on the World Cup. There

:22:02. > :22:05.are some any great footballers who have never been on the stage, and

:22:06. > :22:09.there are some for whom it will be a last World Cup, or their only World

:22:10. > :22:15.Cup. This is their opportunity to go out there, grab it and take centre

:22:16. > :22:23.stage. For the young lads, it is harder to take on the enormity of

:22:24. > :22:26.it. Where is the older players, Stevie Gerard, Frank Lampard, they

:22:27. > :22:31.probably understand it'll be the last one so they will enjoy it more.

:22:32. > :22:39.What is more important is playing with courage and bravery. That is

:22:40. > :22:44.where the really good players shine and the other players just drop a

:22:45. > :22:49.little bit. We will see if the likes of Raheem Sterling, Ross Barkley,

:22:50. > :22:50.Daniel Sturridge, if they can grasp it and take it on board and become

:22:51. > :22:56.superstars. That is it and take it on board and become

:22:57. > :23:02.Gerrard said, make sure you have no regrets. It has been a World Cup so

:23:03. > :23:08.far for the big names, robin van Persie, Sanchez, Neymar, so many big

:23:09. > :23:21.names will be behind us on the pitch tonight. Who will shine in Manaus?

:23:22. > :23:29.We have some breaking news for you. West Brom have announced that Alan

:23:30. > :23:34.Irvine will be their new coach. He has agreed a 12 month rolling

:23:35. > :23:43.contract. But the job you were in for, Neil? No. Are you ready to go

:23:44. > :23:50.back? Enjoying the break at the moment, it is an absolute privilege

:23:51. > :23:56.to be here. Clarence, have you include your management spell, do

:23:57. > :24:01.you want to pursue that? Of course, I have to finish that a

:24:02. > :24:05.relationship! Sorting things out! It has been a great pleasure having all

:24:06. > :24:12.three of you, and Juninho, thank you as well. That is it from us for the

:24:13. > :24:17.moment. We will be back in just a few hours with England against

:24:18. > :24:18.Italy. This time, there is no pressure and no expectancy at all,

:24:19. > :24:35.much! England. Our nation. Throughout the

:24:36. > :24:41.land, history framed and hung on walls. Memories and reminders of

:24:42. > :24:49.glory. England are the world champions. The immortals tried again

:24:50. > :24:55.but bowed out with grace when faced by the greatest. Since then it has

:24:56. > :24:58.been far from simple. The Wilderness past but fortune remained

:24:59. > :25:09.consistent. Celebration and hope extinguished by villainy. And

:25:10. > :25:18.genius. In equal measure. He won't need them. Oh, you have to say that

:25:19. > :25:26.magnificent! When the fires burnt brightest, we built and built

:25:27. > :25:37.belief. Ended in tears and despair. So close. Heartbreak. England are

:25:38. > :25:40.out of the World Cup! New light emerged but faded. Redemption gained

:25:41. > :25:53.in small doses. Calamity never far away. Deja vu. Again, not again. A

:25:54. > :25:59.familiar refrain. Surely that was in! Now a new gallery of heroes,

:26:00. > :26:06.carrying the hope and expectation of a nation to hang on walls. New

:26:07. > :26:10.memories and reminders of glory. Perhaps.