Spain's World Cup campaign has been dealt a severe blow after winger Yéremy Pino suffered a broken collarbone in the 1-0 victory over Uruguay, with teammate Nico Williams also facing fitness doubts due to a groin injury. The injuries occurred during a physical and at times violent match in Guadalajara that secured first place in Group H for Spain but left the squad depleted.
Pino's Injury and Coach's Reaction
Pino, who came on as a second-half substitute for Crystal Palace, sustained a heavy fall during the match. Despite playing until the final whistle, he left the stadium with his arm in a sling. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente described him as “heroic” and confirmed a suspected fracture that is likely to rule him out of the rest of the competition. “Yéremy has a fracture … Well, we’ll see tomorrow. He might have an injury that prevents him from playing the rest of this World Cup,” De la Fuente said.
Williams' Groin Issue
Williams, who was introduced in the second half, left the stadium limping. He was the victim of a dreadful challenge from Uruguay's Nicolás de la Cruz, which sparked confrontations in the final minutes, though it is unclear if that caused the injury. De la Fuente expressed uncertainty about the nature of Williams' discomfort: “We don’t know. He has some small discomfort: it could be a muscle strain, it could be fatigue. We will wait until tomorrow.” Pessimism surrounds the prognosis as the team returned to their Tennessee training base.
Winger Crisis Deepens
The injury crisis extends beyond Pino and Williams. New Liverpool signing Víctor Muñoz, who has not played in the tournament, is still training alone due to a calf injury and a subsequent muscular setback. Lamine Yamal, returning from injury, has started the past two games but is not yet fully fit, having played 19, 45, and 75 minutes in Spain's three matches. This leaves doubts over all four natural wingers in the squad.
De la Fuente's Contingency Plans
De la Fuente acknowledged the possibility of having to approach the next round without wingers. “We’re getting a bit short on specialist wingers. We won’t change our ideas, but will have different players with different characteristics. If we can’t play with wingers, we’ll play without wingers,” he said. Williams had targeted the Uruguay match as the day he would be 100% fit after a season plagued by sportsman's hernia, groin, and hamstring injuries, but he played only six of the past 15 games and completed 90 minutes just three times.
Team's Return and Next Steps
Spain landed back in Chattanooga from Guadalajara just before 5am on Saturday. Tests will be carried out on both wingers to assess the extent of their injuries, with the selección due to train again at 6pm local time. The team's depth will be tested as they prepare for the knockout stages.
