24 June 2014, Suárez Bites Chiellini, Uruguay Qualifies for the Next Round
June 24, 2026 · Global
On 24 June 2014, Italy played against Uruguay in the World Cup, but was forced to exit after a controversial incident between Luis Suárez and Giorgio Chiellini.
On 24 June 2014, at the Arena das Dunas, Natal, Italy played its final match of the World Cup against Uruguay. This was a very important match for Italy, as they only needed a draw to progress to the last 16, just as they had four years earlier when they were knocked out by Slovakia. However, the Azzurri team's performance on the field was very disappointing. They struggled to build attacks and had few chances, with the only dangerous moment coming from Andrea Pirlo's free kick which was saved by Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.
This match became even more difficult for Italy after Claudio Marchisio received a red card for a hard foul on Arévalo Ríos. With one man less, Italy struggled to maintain their position. Meanwhile, Uruguay, despite having star players such as Diego Forlán and Luis Suárez, finally managed to score through Diego Godín, who scored with a header from a corner.
However, the most controversial moment occurred when Luis Suárez was involved in the incident of biting Giorgio Chiellini. Suárez lost control while trying to win the ball and bit Chiellini on the back. Although Chiellini attempted to show the bite marks to the referee, neither the referee nor the assistant referee saw the incident and took no action. Finally, Uruguay continued to the next round, while Italy had to go home early.