Captain Diego Godin scored in the 81st minute as Uruguay edged 10-man Italy 1-0 on Tuesday to reach the second round of the World Cup, although the victory was overshadowed by a biting incident involving the South American side’s star forward, Luis Suarez.
Four-time champion, Italy, meanwhile, is heading home after the group phase for the second time in four years.
Godin rose above a crowd of defenders to meet a corner with his left shoulder and veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon had no chance.
Italy’s midfielder, Claudio Marchisio, was shown a direct red card for putting his boot into Egidio Arevalo’s knee in the 59th.
Mario Balotelli picked up his second yellow card in two matches during the first half, and was benched for the second period.
Uruguay had to win to go through, while Italy needed only a draw and it was clear that the Azzurris were playing for that result when Coach Cesare Prandelli replaced Balotelli with a defensive midfielder, Andrea Parolo, to start the second half.
Uruguay had argued for a penalty in the 51st when Edinson Cavani got his legs tangled with Leonardo Bonucci, but Mexican referee, Marco Rodirguez, motioned to play on.
The last time Italy failed to proceed from the group stages in two successive World Cups came between 1950 and 1966, when Italy was eliminated in the first round four successive times.
Italy controlled much of the match with its passing accuracy in midfield while Uruguay relied on swift counterattacks and even attempted to surprise Buffon with shots from its own half.
Italy crashes out of World Cup
