NATAL: Uruguay dumped ten-man Italy out of the World Cup with a dramatic 1-0 victory on Tuesday.

Uruguay captain Diego Godin rose high to thump home an 81st-minute header to settle a gritty Group D battle in Natal. The victory saw Italy knocked out in the first round for the second straight World Cup.

But Italy’s stunning exit was overshadowed by an incredible incident involving Luis Suarez. Television re­plays showed Suarez app­e­aring to attempt to sink his teeth into Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini’s shoulder.

Chiellini leapt to his feet to remonstrate with Mexican referee Marco Rodriguez, pulling his shirt off his shoulder to show the red marks.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2014