Thiago Motta has blamed the heat in Recife for Italy’s 1-0 defeat to Costa Rica.
The Azzurri looked a shadow of the side that beat England 2-1 in their opening Group C match and now need to avoid defeat against Uruguay to progress.
Speaking after the game, Brazilian-born Motta insisted that Costa Rica’s familiarity with the harsh conditions gave them a decisive advantage.
“Against England we played in Manaus, but it was in the evening against another European team,” he said, as reported by Football Italia.
“Today we saw it was the only difference, because Costa Rica are used to it. It’s not an excuse, it is the truth, as everyone saw it on the field.
“We hope to recover well and do better against Uruguay. Hopefully Uruguay won’t be like Costa Rica, because we can talk about many things, but the fact remains some players are more accustomed to the heat than others.”
