2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Match 38 Group D Italy Vs Uruguay Tuesday June 24,2014

Italy Vs Uruguay at Estadio das Dunas, Natal

Managers

Cesare Prandelli  (Italy)
Oscar Tabarez(Uruguay)

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head

• Italy and Uruguay have played each other nine times. The South Americans lead by three wins to two.
• Uruguay lost on penalties when they last faced Italy, in the third-place play-off at the 2013 Confederations Cup.
• Uruguay have met Italy twice at World Cup finals, failing to score on either occasion: 0-0 in 1970 and 0-2 in 1990.

Italy

• Italy have lost only three of 19 World Cup games against South American opposition - a first round game against Chile in 1962, the 1970 final and the 1978 third-place match against Brazil.
• Italy have been caught offside 18 times in their opening two group games, twice as many times as Uruguay (nine).
• The Azzurri were eliminated in the group stage at four successive finals between 1950 and 1966; this sequence is the last time they have failed to make it out of back-to-back World Cup groups.

Uruguay

• Uruguay have missed out on the World Cup knockout stages only three times in 11 previous attempts. The last time was back in 2002.
• This is their 50th game at the World Cup. Only eight countries have played more (W19, D12, L18)
• Uruguay's win over England was their first against a European team at the World Cup in 44 years since a 1-0 extra-time win over the Soviet Union in 1970. They had gone 15 straight World Cup matches without a victory over a European nation.
• Uruguay have scored three goals from just five shots on target so far.
• Luis Suarez has netted five times in his seven World Cup appearances.
• Edinson Cavani has played a hand in three of Uruguay's last five goals at the World Cup (two goals and one assist).

Italy's superior goal difference means they need only a draw in Natal to accompany Costa Rica through to the last 16. They managed exactly that against Uruguay at last summer's Confederations Cup

This is a must-win game for Uruguay

Uruguay beats Italy 1-0
Goal Scorer -Diego Godin(81)

Luis Suarez's reputation lies in tatters again after the Liverpool striker appeared to bite Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during Uruguay’s bad-tempered victory in Natal.

With just 12 minutes to go and the scores locked at 0-0 here, Suarez and Chiellini fell to the floor in the penalty area. Chiellini seemed absolutely incensed and replays soon showed why as Suarez was shown apparently attempting to dig his teeth in his opponents’ shoulder.

Chiellini appeals to referee Marco Rodriguez after the incident

Luis Suarez clutches his teeth after appearing to bite Giorgio Chiellini

Chiellini shows his wounds to the ref after a clash with Suarez

Liverpool striker faces lengthly ban after clash with Italian defender Chiellini

Suarez was hit with a ten-game suspension for biting Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic in April 2012

Uruguay star was issued seven-game ban for a chomp on PSV's Otman Bakkal while playing for Ajax in November 2010

However, whether Suarez plays any further part in the tournament remains to be seen. Last season’s FWA and PFA Player of the Year will certainly face a FIFA investigation and is likely to be hit with a retrospective ban.

FIFA opens disciplinary proceedings against Luis Suarez

 

FIFA have opened disciplinary proceedings against Uruguay forward Luis Suarez after Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini accused him of biting during the South Americans' 1-0 Group D victory at the World Cup on Tuesday June 24,2014

The probe means Suarez, twice previously banned for biting, may be hit with another lengthy suspension despite escaping punishment during the match.
"FIFA can confirm that disciplinary proceedings have been opened against the player Luis Suarez of Uruguay," the world soccer body said in a statement late on Tuesday.

 FIFA is probing what it called an apparent breach of two articles of the organisation's disciplinary code. One covers infringements and the other offensive behaviour and fair play.

Suarez and Chiellini clashed in the Italian penalty area 10 minutes from the end of the match which sealed Uruguay's progression and Italy's elimination from the tournament.

Chiellini furiously pulled open his shirt to show the mark to the referee. 

FIFA's rules allow the use of video or "any other evidence" to retrospectively punish players.

FIFA's disciplinary code sets a maximum ban of 24 matches or two years, but the longest suspension FIFA has imposed for an offence in the World Cup was eight games for Italy's Mauro Tassotti for breaking Spain's Luis Enrique's nose in 1994 with an elbow.