Alessio Cerci has backed Italy to respond to their World Cup defeat against Costa Rica in their final Group D match against Uruguay.

A header from Bryan Ruiz earned Costa Rica a 1-0 win over the Azzurri, which booked their spot in the last 16 of the tournament.

The result means that Italy need to avoid defeat against the Uruguayans in Natal next week to reach the knockout stages, and Torino winger Cerci is confident that they have the quality to extend their stay in Brazil.

"In the locker room we looked each other in the eye, fully aware it wasn't our best performance, but we'll give it all against Uruguay," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"Something went wrong today, we have to turn over a new leaf and get the result against Uruguay. I believe we have the quality to do it.

"There are some great champions here and each of us needs to bring our pride out on to the pitch. We have the players who can make the difference."

Italy failed to make it out of the group stages at the World Cup in South Africa four years ago.

Written by
Alex Meyers