sportsinfo.: Great Britain 1 Uruguay 0: Super Sturridge adds to the joy and puts Team GB in quarters

How fitting. After an inspirational morning and a glorious afternoon, Great Britain’s day to remember received the perfect gloss with a successful evening.While the exploits of this nation’s footballers were never going to detract from the superlative efforts of rowing’s golden girls Helen Glover and Heather Stanning or put the wondrous Bradley Wiggins in the shade, they gleefully seized their chance to add to the feel-good factor.
Thanks to a solitary goal from Chelsea’s Daniel Sturridge in first-half added time, Team GB reached the quarter-finals and remain on course for a defining date at Wembley on Saturday week.
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It's there: Daniel Sturridge was in the right place to break the deadlock

MATCH FACTS

Great Britain (4-3-3): Butland 8; Taylor 7, Richards 6, Caulker 7, Bertrand 7; Allen 7, Ramsey 8, Cleverley 6; Bellamy 7 (Rose 78min), Sturridge 7 (Dawson 90), Sinclair 6 (Cork 90).
Subs not used: Steele, Giggs, Tomkins, Sordell.
Scorer: Sturridge 45.
Booked: Taylor, Ramsey.
Uruguay (4-3-3): Campana 7; Arias 6, Coates 6, Rolin 6, Aguirregaray 5; Rodriguez 5, Arevalo 5, Ramirez 6; Cavani 4, Suarez 5, Viudez 4 (Lodeiro 58, 6).
Subs not used: Gelpi, Polenta, Albin, Calzada, Hernandez, Urretaviscaya.
Booked: Ramirez, Coates, Suarez, Arias, Lodeiro.
Man of the match: Jack Butland.
Referee: Yuichi Nishimura (Japan).
Att: 70,438.

After knocking out Uruguay, one of the pre-tournament favourites, they will face South Korea in the last eight in Cardiff on Saturday riding on the crest of a wave.
Though they rode their luck at times, particularly when their goal was under siege during a late Uruguay rally, Great Britain did enough to get over the line. Showing huger, tenacity and desire, they refused to buckle. That attitude was good enough to secure top spot in Group A.
Manager Stuart Pearce said: ‘I think everyone was inspired today by Bradley Wiggins and our rowing gold, but I have to say the women’s team beating Brazil in their last match gave us a really big lift, too.
‘We are delighted to be out of the group. We always felt it was going to be a tough group but we deserved to win it and the team is getting stronger and stronger.’
Pre-match concerns that the National Anthem would receive short-shrift from Millennium Stadium patrons proved to be wide of the mark, as a crowd of 70,438 heartily boomed out the words to God Save The Queen.
‘People were telling me three or four weeks ago that there would be a negative reaction in Cardiff but I didn’t see that,’ said Pearce. ‘The crowd was fantastic. It’s been a great day for British sport and we are delighted to have played our small part. This is a fantastic experience.’
Yet there was booing in the other anthem when Luis Suarez’s face was shown on the huge screens.
‘They jeer me because they must be scared of facing a player like me,’ he said later. ‘They fear me, but that doesn’t affect me. I’m just hurt because we lost and we are going home. I can take the abuse.’
Suarez’s Liverpool team-mate Sebastian Coates added: ‘It showed a total lack of respect.’

Appeal: The Uruguay players were convinced Daniel Sturridge's goal should not have stood

If Uruguay were going progress, they needed the Liverpool striker firing on all cylinders and there were occasions during an enthralling 90 minutes when he was too elusive and strong for Great Britain to handle. Had other Uruguayans showed similar fight, the result would have been different.
The hosts, though, made much the brighter start, with the energy and drive of Aaron Ramsey proving infectious. Alongside him fellow Welshman Craig Bellamy — captain for the night in place of the rested Ryan Giggs — and Joe Allen glittered and they were always involved whenever Team GB prospered.

One up: Daniel Sturridge (2nd left) celebrates scoring the opening goal for Great Britain against Uruguay

ELSEWHERE

Japan and Honduras both qualified for the Olympic quarter-finals in the men's football tournament after fighting out a goalless draw at the City of Coventry Stadium.
Japan finished top of the group with seven points from three games and they will take on Egypt in the last eight.
Runners-up Honduras will face a more daunting test against one of the tournament favourites in Brazil.
Senegal made it through from Team GB's group and will face Mexico.

An early goal would have set things up perfectly but, after a speculative shot from Scott Sinclair, the game became scrappy. Great Britain, clearly, were in no mood to take unnecessary risks, while the Uruguayans seemed curiously ambivalent over their prospects of progressing from Group A.
Edinson Cavani summed up their attitude. His exploits for Napoli mark him out to be a fine player but he did not show here why he has been spoken of in terms of a £78million transfer.
Bar a shot that went high over from Bologna’s Gaston Ramirez and a scuffed effort from Suarez, which British keeper Jack Butland confidently grabbed, Uruguay offered nothing in the first half and it became apparent that the game was there for the hosts to grab.
The breakthrough arrived just before the interval. Sinclair charged at the defence and slipped a ball into Allen, who in turn ushered the ball into the feet of Sturridge, who gleefully applied the finishing touch. It was no more than Britain deserved.

Skipper for the night: Craig Bellamy captained Team GB as Stuart Pearce gave Ryan Giggs a rest

Famous faces: The fans played their part as Team GB took on Uruguay in Cardiff

Quarter-final draw

SATURDAY
Japan v Egypt
Old Trafford, noon
Mexico v Senegal
Wembley, 2.30pm
Brazil v Honduras
St James’ Park, 5pm
GB v South Korea
Millennium Stadium, 7.30pm

Given they have been touted as potential World Cup winners in 2014, it was inevitable Uruguay would come back into the game and, inevitably, Suarez started to cast his spell and three times he was denied by brilliant saves from the impressive Butland.
Nerves started to jangle the closer time crept towards the final whistle and there was nearly a sting in the tale when Ramirez smashed a drive against the bar but Team GB hung on and, according to their manager, they remain on course for a shot at gold.
‘If we win a quarter-final, we have got two shots at winning a medal,’ said Pearce. ‘We have planned to win the tournament.’