Italy coach Marcello Lippi hailed the team spirit of the Azzurri after they sealed a place in the last 16 of the World Cup with a 2-0 win over the Czech Republic.

Lippi said after the victory: "This team has terrific spirit, probably the most fighting spirit I have had in any team.

"We deserve to qualify, we played two great games to beat Ghana and Czech Republic, two very difficult teams.

"Finishing first was important for lots of reasons, but even if we had to play Brazil we would have given it our best shot.

"Sooner or later you're going to have to play one of the favourites."

Czech coach Karel Bruckner admitted that his side had been well beaten and accepted that his time in charge might be over.

He added: "Playing with ten men was just too difficult.

"We lost a lot of players before the game and had suspensions which hurt us in this tournament.

"It is too early to assess and think about what might happen in the future."