CESARE PRANDELLI, the Italy coach, tendered his resignation in the wake of the country's elimination from the World Cup in Brazil.

His side's 1-0 defeat to Uruguay in Natal meant they missed out on progression to the knockout stages from Group D. Prandelli, who steered Italy to the final of the European Championships two years ago, said at his post-match press conference: "The technical set-up didn't work, and I take all responsibility for that."

Despite a solid defensive performance Italy were put under increasingly pressure after they were reduced to 10 men when Marchisio was sent off for a careless, chopping foul on Egidio Rios. But despite the extra man advantage, Uruguay continued to struggle to create openings with the Italian defence adept at suffocating their opponents' attacking threat.

The opportunity the Uruguayans were hoping for arrived when Edinson Cavani put Luis Suarez through but Buffon saved superbly.

Then, controversy raged when Chiellini and Suarez fell after an off-the-ball clash in the Italian box. Both players fell to the floor with Suarez seeming to lose a tooth in the melee before Diego Godin thumped home a header, enough to take Uruguay into the last 16.