Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge has been mining a rich vein of form since trading London for Merseyside just under a year and a half ago and he continued his astounding run of goals with the equalizer in England’s 2-1 loss to Italy in their opening match of the World Cup.
Despite coming up short to Cesare Prandelli’s side, the 24-year old remains both positive towards the upcoming matches and humbled to even be participating at all. “I’m thankful to God for giving me the opportunity, I’m thankful for everything that’s come my way. I’m humbled by being able to play in a World Cup” said the Reds attacker. “A year ago, 18 months ago, I never thought I’d be in this position to be honest with you and I’m thankful to God for everything that’s come my way.”
Although his focus remains set on the upcoming meetings with both Uruguay and Costa Rica, Sturridge has admitted he had a bit of extra motivation in their opening match — giving his mother a birthday she’d never forget. “It’s my mum’s birthday on Sunday and I was just trying my heart out to make her happy and put a smile on her face as well” he continued. “Obviously I’m gutted we didn’t win the game because I feel like I’ve let not just everyone in England but my family down as well.”
While it’s a bit too easy to expound on who was good and who wasn’t when you’re sitting on the sidelines, it’s safe to say that the Liverpool man was one of the best players on the pitch, and if the Three Lion’s are lucky enough to navigate the group stage, their Number Nine will play a bigger role than most in making sure it happens.
“I just think we didn’t get the breaks we deserved but I’m so excited for the next game because I know we can do a job on them if we play like we did against Italy, so it’s a good feeling” enthused the 24-year old as he reflected on the challenge to come. “Every game’s a final and we lost one final and we’ve got two more finals coming up. Regardless of this result, we would have had the exact same mentality going into this game.”
