Uruguay delivered what looks to be a knockout blow against England in the second round of Group D. The game started off rather slowly but built momentum as the sides played for the vital three points. Here are some takeaways from the frenzied affair.

1. Defense an issue for both sides

The English defense was not great against Italy in the opening group stage. Much was made of Leighton Baines' being exposed down his flank because offense-minded Wayne Rooney was ineffective at running back on defense. Roy Hodgson moved Rooney to a more central position to start this match and compensated by placing Danny Welbeck to help out Baines. It was an improvement, but hardly a major one, as the English remained susceptible to Uruguay's attack. On both goals, the team failed to track Luis Suarez. Everyone knew Suarez was the man to watch, yet nobody was paying attention to him on the plays that cost England the game.

Meanwhile, Uruguay gave up too many opportunities to the English -- with luck, those opportunities would have wound up in Uruguay's net. Rooney hit the crossbar once, and Fernando Muslera made a huge save on him with the score at 1-0. The eventual goal was a combination of playing the attacking man incorrectly and then losing the coverage on Rooney.

2. Rooney plays a solid game and gets rewarded

Coming into his 10th World Cup contest, Rooney had zero goals. The Manchester United star man, known for his goal scoring, simply could not find a way to put the ball in the net on the biggest stage. Part of that was a slew of poor performances, and part of it was bad luck. There is an old cliché about making your own luck, and on Thursday, that is what Rooney did. He was aggressively looking for the ball and creating opportunities. He hit the crossbar on a set piece, he had a point-blank scoring chance stopped by the keeper, and eventually he found the back of the net -- his best World Cup performance to date. But it is a shame that it all meant nothing. Because ...

3. Luis Suarez was even better

The Liverpool superstar is supposedly not 100 percent after knee surgery, but he still gave his best effort. While he was not as dominant as expected on the ball, he made the most of his opportunities by producing two marvelous goals that ultimately decided the game. If this is Suarez below his best, then imagine what he could do for his country when he is better rested.

4. Edinson Cavani was the opposite

The Paris Saint-Germain striker endured a tough season with his club. Part of that had to do with the fact that he was not the main man for his team and was forced to compromise his game to suit Zlatan Ibrahimovic. But most expected him to bounce back for the national side and dominate alongside Suarez. With the Liverpool man out during the encounter with Costa Rica, Cavani became the team's focal forward. And while he scored the penalty, he was far from exemplary. Against England, he did even less. He had a nice assist on the first Suarez goal, but aside from, that he did nothing to make anyone think he will dominate in this tournament.

Man of the Match

Uruguay: He scored two goals. Need we say more? Suarez was the defining player of the game.

England: He scored his first goal in the World Cup and was everywhere for the Three Lions. Wayne Rooney was the star for the English.

Flop of the Match

Uruguay: No player had a particularly poor night for the squad, though one certainly expects more from Cavani.

England: The backline. The defenders left the team exposed a number of times, and the score easily could have been higher had Uruguay capitalized on a few more opportunities.