MANAUS, Brazil -- Mario Balotelli scored with a second-half header Saturday to give Italy a 2-1 win over England at the World Cup. The Italy striker was left free by his marker Gary Cahill and nodded a cross from Antonio Candreva past goalkeeper Joe Hart in the 50th minute. Claudio Marchisio scored first for Italy, sending a long shot through a crowded area and past a diving Hart in the 35th. Daniel Sturridge equalized for England two minutes later, tapping in a cross from Wayne Rooney. The win puts Italy in a strong position to qualify for the second round, and leaves England with plenty to do in its remaining two matches. In the other Group D match, Costa Rica beat Uruguay 3-1, giving the 2010 semifinalists a similarly difficult task to advance. Balotelli nearly scored another in first-half injury time, running deep into the area and enticing Hart to come off his line. The Italy striker stopped, looked toward goal and sent a chip over the keepers head -- only for Phil Jagielka to clear by heading the ball over the bar. Englands attack-minded lineup made frequent runs into the Italy area throughout the match, and came close to scoring several times. The best of the chances came in the 24th when Danny Welbeck sent the ball across the front of goal but Andrea Barzagli was able to slide in and tip the ball up in the air. Raheem Sterling, who had been running in from the left, jumped for the header but couldnt reach it, letting the ball go past him as he tumbled into the net. Italy played without the injured Gianluigi Buffon. The 36-year-old Italy goalkeeper, who can play in his fourth World Cup if he is able to recover from an ankle problem, was replaced by Salvatore Sirigu. The PSG keeper stepped up and made several good saves, but the best may have come in the 77th when he dived to his left to block a free kick from Leighton Baines. The match was played in the Amazonian city of Manaus, the most exotic of the 12 World Cup venues for this years tournament. According to FIFA, it was 30 degrees C (86 degrees F) with humidity at a relatively low 61 per cent for the match. While none of the players appeared to be affected by the heat, there was an injury on the England bench when team physio Gary Lewin dislocated his ankle while celebrating Sturridges goal. England and Italy were playing each other at the World Cup for only the second time. They also met in the third-place match at the 1990 World Cup, with the Italians also winning 2-1. Best Price On Asics Gel Nimbus 17 .com) - Matt Duchene picked up the deciding goal early in the third period and added an assist, as Colorado escaped with a 4-3 victory over Dallas at Pepsi Center. Asics Gel Lyte III Usa For Sale . 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Asics Gel Lyte III Mens Sale . -- Fresh off their surprising run in the playoffs, the Portland Trail Blazers have signed head coach Terry Stotts to a multi-year contract extension.MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Marc Gasol had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Mike Miller added 19 points, and the Memphis Grizzlies made a strong push in the third quarter to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 117-95 on Friday night. Tony Allen scored 15 points to help the Grizzlies preserve their playoff hopes. Memphis entered the night trailing the Suns by a game for the Western Conferences final post-season spot. The Suns were playing San Antonio. Nick Calathes added 12 points for Memphis, while Zach Randolph finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds. The Grizzlies won their 13th straight at home, matching the franchise record set last season. Tony Wroten and Thaddeus Young led the Sixers with 18 points apiece. Elliot Williams added 13 for Philadelphia, which lost its third straight and fifth in the last six. The Grizzlies held a 10-point lead at halftime and outscored the Sixers 30-17 in the third with Allen and Gasol scoring eight points each. Memphis continued to dominate on the interior, outscoring Philadelphia 60-48 in the paint and outrebounding the Sixers 49-36 for the game. The Grizzlies shot 54 per cent from the field, compared to 44 per cent for the 76ers. Memphis shot 55 per cent in the first half to carry a 57-47 lead at intermission. Miller was 5 of 7, including connecting on all three of his shots outside the arc, as he and Gasol scored 13 points each. Gasol converted all but one of his seven shots in the half. Young scored 10 points ffor Philadelphia.dddddddddddd Memphis led by as many as 12 in the first half, and its biggest problem was getting back on defence, allowing a couple of breakaways by Philadelphia. One of those irritated coach Dave Joerger so much, he called a quick timeout despite the Grizzlies leading. Memphis was hampered by eight turnovers in the half, and committed 16 on the night. The Grizzlies continued to build the lead in the third, turning up the defence as the Sixers seemed to lose whatever spirit they had at this point in a tough season. Near the end of the quarter and with the shot clock running down, Gasol connected from outside the top of the key -- only his second 3-pointer of the season -- to help the Grizzlies carry an 87-64 lead into the fourth. That was enough for Memphis to coast to the finish and get starters some rest heading into the final stretch run of the season. NOTES: The Sixers had several Memphis connections. Wroten was drafted by the Grizzlies. Elliot Williams and 10-day signee Adonis Thomas played at the University of Memphis, while Thaddeus Young was a high school standout in the city. Arnett Moultrie, who also played high school ball in Memphis, was inactive serving five-game suspension for violating league anti-drug policy. ... The Sixers have trailed by double-digits in 64 of their 79 games this season. ... Philadelphia is now 6-56 when it fails to reach 110 points. ... Memphis last home loss was Feb. 5 to Dallas. ' ' '