Suarez pushes England to edge of World Cup exit

Before the World Cup, Uruguay was worried about Luis Suarez's knee and Colombia was fretting over injured Radamel Falcao. Considering the wild celebrations Thursday, neither should have.

Less than a month after surgery, the incomparable Suarez came back Thursday to score two vital World Cup goals, and Colombia is through to the second round despite missing its star striker. Both South American teams won 2-1 Thursday, Uruguay pushing England to the brink of elimination, and Colombia beating Ivory Coast to advance from Group C after Greece and Japan played to a scoreless draw.

The results further underscored South America's dominance of the World Cup in Brazil. The continent's teams now have seven victories out of a possible 10.

Colombia continued to produce goals and victories even without Falcao. For Uruguay, Suarez reinvigorated its campaign after an opening 3-1 loss to Costa Rica. Uruguay is level with Italy and Costa Rica in Group D, and those teams meet Friday in Recife.

About 15 miles from the site of the Uruguay-England game in Sao Paulo, about 2,000 people protested against the World Cup, some smashing windows at banks and car dealerships and spray-painting anti-capitalist slogans on buildings.

It was the latest protest to hit Brazil, which has seen hundreds of demonstrations in the past year by people expressing anger about poor public services, corruption in government, the billions spent to host the World Cup and a litany of other complaints.

Inside the stadium, Suarez was hoisted aloft by teammates after the game as if he had won the World Cup.

"I dreamt this. I'm enjoying this moment, because of all I suffered," Suarez said.

Earlier in the tournament, stars have been coming through for their nations: Neymar for Brazil, Robin van Persie for the Netherlands, Thomas Mueller for Germany and Lionel Messi for Argentina. Suarez got started later, but he made up for missing a game with his star performance Thursday.

After May 22 surgery on his knee left little hope for a World Cup appearance, Suarez looked completely healthy. He produced his toothy smile even before his header crossed the line to open the scoring. And after Wayne Rooney finally scored his first World Cup goal to tie the game for England, Suarez capped his return with something almost magical in Sao Paulo.

With Uruguay under intense pressure in the 85th minute, Suarez gathered a long clearance that was accidentally headed on by England's Steven Gerrard - his Liverpool teammate. His knee was in full flow as he unleashed a drive that goalie Joe Hart barely had time to see fly by. Suarez fell to the ground in disbelief before he was mobbed by delirious teammates.

"He doesn't miss" from there, England coach Roy Hodgson said. For England, its World Cup standing is slipping ever more.

After reaching the quarterfinals at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, England exited in the second round in South Africa four years ago. Now it likely looks like a return ticket in the first round.

"Our chances are unbelievably slim," added Hodgson.

If Suarez produced tears of joy, there were also tears of anguish. In a moment as memorable as many of the great goals, midfielder Serey Die sobbed uncontrollably during the Ivory Coast anthem.

His thoughts went back to his father who died a decade ago, but "I also thought about my tough life - I didn't think that one day I would be here, playing."

The match provided little joy though, as the 2-1 loss of the Ivory Coast's chances to advance in doubt.

Africa has had a miserable showing at the World Cup, with just 4 points out of a possible 21.

For South America, the home advantage was there for all to see by the frenzied pro-Colombian crowd inside the Estadio Nacional in Brasilia.

James Rodriguez and Juan Quintero produced second half goals before a brilliant solo effort by Gervinho made it a tight game again.

There was nothing brilliant as Japan and Greece played to a goalless draw in the late Group C game, maintaining slim hopes of advancing for both. 

(AP)

10 Things to See: A week of top AP photos

Russia draws 1-1 with South Korea in World Cup

Blundering Russia goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev was bailed out by teammate Alexander Kerzhakov in a 1-1 draw with South Korea in the World Cup on Tuesday that exposed both teams' deficiencies.

Akinfeev had already looked suspect in dealing with long-range shots before spilling Lee Keun-ho's speculative effort into his own net in the 68th minute, gifting South Korea the lead at the Arena Pantanal.

Mexico holds host Brazil to 0-0 draw at World Cup

He was called a hero and a savior by his Mexican teammates. His Brazilian opponents said he produced miracles. 

There is no doubt that Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa was the one responsible for spoiling Brazil's hopes of another World Cup victory at its home tournament. 

Ochoa made a series of outstanding saves to help his side hold Brazil to a thrilling 0-0 draw on Tuesday. 

Tense Belgium fights back for 2-1 win over Algeria

Waiting and waiting for an equalizer, the tension started showing on the faces of the Belgium players as the second half wore on in the country's first World Cup match in 12 years.

Algeria was on the verge of a major upset in their Group H opener Tuesday, taking the lead through a penalty in the 25th minute. Try as they might, Belgium's attacking players just couldn't break down Algeria's defense.

Dubai Creek, heart of a changed city

Beneath a glitzy skyline, wooden boats ply Dubai Creek, the historic heart of a city that was transformed in little more than a generation from a tiny pearling and fishing port to a global trading hub.

From early morning to late evening the creek is abuzz with daily commuters and tourists riding in abras, the wooden boats that have been used for more than a century and are still built by hand nearby. The 25-cent passage from one bank to the other is one of the only bargains left in a city where much of the population is expatriates lured to the Gulf emirate by job opportunities.

Unlike the rest of the city, the Dubai Creek area has until now been left relatively untouched by developers, offering a glimpse into the modest beginnings of a city that is now a byword for wealth, excess and overnight development.

"The creek is very much the heart of the city, physically and metaphorically," says Yasser Elsheshtawy, associate professor of architecture at the United Arab Emirates University. "You know, that's really where everything started."

The city is awaiting the results of a bid for Dubai Creek to be declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a $544 million creek-side project has been approved by Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE vice president and prime minister and ruler of Dubai, that aims to transform the area into a cultural and artistic hub for the city. 

Here are images from Associated Press photographer Kamran Jebreili of Dubai Creek. 
(AP)

Amazon boat trips beckon World Cup visitors

Light plays off the Solimoes River, duplicating the verdant canopy of the Amazon rainforest on the water's surface.

The landscape that glides by the Almirante Barbosa is breathtaking, but almost no one aboard the boat pays attention. Nearly all the passengers doze in dozens of hammocks strung from the boat's rafters, lulled to sleep by the rocking motion, the motor's chugging, and the tropical swelter.

Boats like the Almirante Barbosa are the lifeline of Brazil's Amazon region, carrying passengers and staple goods ranging from rice to diapers to remote riverside villages inaccessible any other way.

They're also a great way for World Cup fans in the remote Amazon city of Manaus to make a quick jungle escape between matches.

The lumbering wooden vessels are slow going - the Almirante Barbosa chugs at some 20 kilometers (12 miles) an hour - and trips can stretch out for days or even weeks.

While most tourists opt for speedboats for their jungle journeys, a riverboat day trip can give even World Cup visitors on a tight schedule a taste of authentic Amazonian life.

Carved out of the heart of the world's largest forest where the onyx waters of the Rio Negro and milky tea-hued Solimoes meet to form the immense Amazon, Manaus is host to four matches, including the game between Cameroon and Croatia on Wednesday.

Dozens of boats set sail from Manaus daily for destinations such as Belem, about 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) to the east, or to Sao Gabriel da Cachoiera, 860 kilometers (530 miles) to the west, along the Rio Negro's headwaters near Brazil's border with Colombia.

Around the port, hustlers with loudspeakers announce their vessels' destinations and the various stops they will make along the way. Laborers wearing hats that look like Turkish fezzes jostle up and down the docks with giant loads atop their heads, the hats' flat surfaces helping balance impressive loads - sacks of beans and sugar, giant bunches of bananas, six-packs of beer.

Manacapuru, about 79 kilometers (49 miles) up the Solimoes from Manaus, is among the best destinations for an easy day trip - and a ticket that's just $11. There's not much to see in the town itself, but the six-hour voyage is stunning. Plus, Manacapuru is among a few destinations easily accessible by car, and a $65 cab ride gets day-trippers back to the city in an hour.

Potential travelers would be wise to board well ahead of the scheduled departure and bring a hammock. Stalls in Manaus' Adolpho Lisboa market in front of the port, and a row of shops behind the market, have hammocks for every budget, from $5 to $100-plus.

Travelers without hammocks will have a hard time finding a place to sit on the boat, and competition for on-board real estate can be fierce. On the often-overcrowded vessels, hammocks are hung from the overhead wooden beams and stacked two- or even three-high bunk bed-style, with adults on the lower levels and kids above.

Food is included in the ticket price, but gastronomical variety is not: Every day, there's bread and coffee for breakfast, followed by chicken, rice and white noodles for lunch and dinner. The only other food available is fare like cookies and chips at the boat's snack bar.

As dusk falls, the collective midday stupor lifts and the passengers gather at the railings to watch the sunset play on the water and the floating houses, bars and general stores of the riverside communities slip past. The men sip on cold beers as the women gossip and chase after toddlers. Fussing babies are breast-fed and rocked back to sleep by the gentle back and forth of the ship.

"I've been making this trip every two months for three years, and I have the choice: take a speedboat that gets me to where I'm going in four hours, or spend 18 hours on a riverboat," said Marina Vieira, a 28-year-old biologist conducting field research in a remote community up the Solimoes. "I always, always take the riverboat."  

(AP)