Luis Suarez had a dream – and it turned into a nightmare for England. The Liverpool striker scored two sensational goals as Uruguay sent England spinning towards their earliest World Cup exit in 56 years.

“Yes, I dreamed of this,” he said. “It was something I imagined many times, but I had to calm myself down.” Suarez grabbed the second of two opportunistic goals in the 85th minute of a tense Group D battle in Sao Paulo after Wayne Rooney had looked to have rescued a point for England with a 75th-minute equaliser.

The defeat leaves England, beaten 2-1 by Italy in their opening match, without a point. “We are more than disappointed, we’re devastated,” said England manager Roy Hodgson. “This was a very difficult game.”

Suarez, who was named English football’s player of the year after a superb season for Liverpool, had been a doubt for the World Cup after undergoing knee surgery in May.

But the 27-year-old returned to haunt an England team containing five of his Liverpool team-mates.

“If this was a movie, people couldn’t have wanted a better result [for Luis],” said Uruguay head coach Oscar Tabarez. “He is a player who was injured a month ago and had to undergo surgery. So for us this game was loaded with symbols.

“We all love him [Suarez] because he’s a wonderful person and he’s a very important player for our team, and, of course, we admire him. We are very proud and very happy for many reasons.”

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Compiled from AFP