FORTALEZA, Brazil — Edinson Cavani scored a penalty to give Uruguay a 1-0 lead at halftime against Costa Rica in their Group D opener at the World Cup.
The Paris Saint-Germain striker beat goalkeeper Keylor Navas in the 24th minute from the spot after Junior Diaz brought down Uruguay captain Diego Lugano in the area.
Cavani played alongside veteran Diego Forlan with star striker Luis Suarez on the bench, as Uruguay opted not to risk his health as he recovers from knee surgery.
Costa Rica is a big underdog in Group D, which also includes England and Italy, and used a defensive 5-2-2-1 formation to try and neutralize Uruguay. Lone striker Joel Campbell troubled the South American defenders throughout the half on counterattacks and with shots from distance.
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