ITALY 0-1 URUGUAY
A late goal, a questionable red card and a probable expulsion from the tournament highlighted an otherwise dreary contest that saw the 4-time champions Italy out of the tournament and Uruguay joined Brazil and Chile in a very South American quarter of the knockout round bracket.
Very slow entrance to the game as neither side could afford to concede a goal in this match. Uruguay got the better of the chances in the opening third of the game but could not find any finishing touches towards goal. Edinson Cavani in particular had a tough day as he tried to orchestrate the Uruguay offence against a stingy Italian back 5.
Uruguay nearly found the opening goal in the 33rd minute but were turned away by some brilliant play by Italy's Gianluigi Buffon. Buffon stoned Luis Suarez from close range and then shot across the area to get hands to a Nicolas Lodeiro followup that may have been goal-bound.
That was the best chance in a first half where the stars were largely absent. Suarez name was hardly mentioned outside of that shot and Mario Balotelli was a waste of a jersey, picking up a brutal yellow card and offering nothing towards goal. Balotelli's game and World Cup were mercifully ended by a halftime substitution.
As the second half wore on, Uruguay began to take control of the game as Italy fell in to a more defensive stance, playing for the draw. Cristian Rodriguez got through the Italian lines but his toe poke on the ball scooted wide of Buffon's goal. The tide turned right after though.
With Italy threatening in the Uruguay half, Claudio Marchisio ended up drawing a straight red card for a hard foul on a Uruguay player. The red card seemed harsh at first glance although the replay showed Marchisio went studs first in to the player above the shin pads.
Down a man, pressure kept building on the Italy goal. Luis Suarez snuck through and his shot was just turned away by the glove of Buffon. Alvaro Gonzalez lobbed a long ball in to the area that was barely cleared by Andrea Barzagli amongst a sea of Uruguay shirts.
The dam gave way though in the 81st minute on a corner kick. Diego Godin mistimed his jump in the penalty area but still managed to get his back on the ball and directed it inside the near post past the diving Buffon. The lone goal gave Uruguay the victory and sent them through to the knockout round while Italy head home.
The game was marred by an ugly incident just prior to the goal. After the ball had left the Italian zone, Luis Suarez appeared to bite Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini on the shoulder. Both players went down with Chiellini frantically trying to show the ref his shoulder, which had clear bite marks on it. Suarez has been involved with 2 biting incidents previously and while the incident was missed by the referee, it can be reviewed by FIFA. Anything short of a tournament bank for Suarez would be a stunning decision by FIFA, especially given his history with biting incidents.
Goals
Italy: N/A
Uruguay: Diego Godin (81')
Discipline
Uruguay: Egidio Arevalo Rios (Yellow 46'), Fernando Muslera (Yellow 90+1')
Man of the Match
Gianluigi Buffon was named Man of the Match. First time I can recall fans voting a losing player as MOTM this tournament and they're absolutely correct. Had no hope on the goal but made a great double save on Suarez and Lodeiro in the first half and again on Suarez point-blank in the second half. Kept Italy in this game longer then they should have been.
Key Moment
With Italy looking confident on defence on their way to the draw they required, Claudio Marchisio got his studs in to the knee of a Uruguayan player in a midfield challenge. The tackle drew a straight red card from the referee and doomed Italy to holding off Uruguay down a man, a task they could not complete. A questionable decision as well. It was a bad tackle and worthy of at least a yellow card. Not sure a straight red card was warranted in a game of that magnitude though.
What we learned from Italy
No attacking bite from this team at all which is why they're heading home early for the second straight World Cup. Balotelli was a non-factor again and was rightfully substituted at halftime. One way or another, card or sub, Balotelli wasn't finishing that game. Italy sent Immobile out as a second striker and he was absolutely dreadful all match. Missed De Rossi defensively but this team needs to find some attackers they can rely on that aren't named Balotelli.
What we learned from Uruguay
Very talented in all facets of the game. Also giving everyone a reason to hate them. Suarez shouldn't see another minute of action in the tournament after his actions. And this is coming after Alvaro Pereira was sent back on the field with a concussion last game against England. No regard for player safety whatsoever. Will not escape their quarter of the knockout round bracket.
Italy are headed home. The 2006 champions have not gotten back to the knockout round since their last championship.
Uruguay is likely looking at a date with Colombia in the Round of 16 with Brazil/Chile looming after. If FIFA have any sense at all (which they don't), they will have to get by without Luis Suarez. This team needs Suarez to be successful and will likely struggle in his absence.
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