Uruguay are out of the World Cup again, and for all that it ended in anger, a red card, and a touchline row, it is nobody's fault but their own. A banner in the stands read '3 million dreams,' but this was a recurring nightmare. Divided and dysfunctional, led by a man who barely says buenos dias to his players, unable to get beyond a draw with Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde, on the night when it was all or nothing against Spain they could manage only one shot on target, which came in the 83rd minute and carried barely the slightest threat.
Match Decided by Goalkeeping Error
Spain had only one shot on target too, but that didn't carry much threat either. However, a dreadful mistake from the 40-year-old Fernando Muslera allowed Álex Baena's shot to slip into the net just before the half-time break, from which the goalkeeper did not return. Uruguay fought but didn't play much football, and so they fell. For the second World Cup running, they failed to get through the group. Four years ago, that was on goals scored and could be explained by the teams they faced – South Korea, Ghana, and Portugal – but this time the opponents only made it worse, demanding far deeper analysis.
Bielsa Takes Responsibility
"It's my responsibility; we had a potential that I didn't manage to turn into a team that played to its level," Marcelo Bielsa said. Muslera had asked to be withdrawn at half-time, his fourth World Cup ending early, but the guilt was all of theirs. On the hour, Federico Valverde too was withdrawn, this time against his will, and departed with his shirt pulled over his mouth as he offered his own furious opinion on a brief and disastrous World Cup campaign. As the final moments played out, Guadalajara sang the name of the country that had beaten them to the next round: not Spain, but Cape Verde.
Spain Survive Physical Encounter
When it came to it, Uruguay had kicked and that was about it. Spain just about survived them, although Nico Williams left limping and Yéremy Pino departed with his arm in a sling. Through it all, they had largely kept a cool head and gone through as they were always going to, which was about the best thing that could be said about a night in which not much good really happened. They will face Algeria or Austria in Los Angeles. Luis de la Fuente, the Spain coach, said: "Maybe they used excessive [force] but that is what the referees are there for. You have to know how to play these kinds of games too; the players understood the circumstances."
Uruguay's Early Pressure Fades
Uruguay had made life difficult for Spain in a first half in which they appeared uncomfortable, and in a second they just wanted to get through. Mistakes had slipped in early but not cost them: Unai Simón dropped a cross, and Baena's misplaced pass almost allowed Manuel Ugarte to play in Valverde. Those were encouraging signs for Uruguay, and they grew, albeit driven more by aggression than inspiration. Darwin Núñez's back-heel ran across the front of the six-yard box. Núñez escaped Marc Cucurella and saw his cross cut out. Simón dropped the ball at Agustín Canobbio's feet, but the winger couldn't find a way past the bodies in the area. Then Ugarte struck over from 25 yards.
Decisive Goal Before Half-Time
If there was momentum, though, there was very little real quality. And then it happened again. The 42nd-minute goal that settled this game was awful in every way: another calamitous, self-inflicted Uruguayan wound in a World Cup that had many of them. The move started with Ugarte going down as he tried to rob Pedri. Teammates called for Spain to stop, but there was no obligation to do so and no will either – still less as this had already become a tough, physical game – so they continued, working the ball to Lamine Yamal. When he too went down, Marcos Llorente was fastest, hurdling a challenge and pulling a cross back for Baena. The shot, first-time on the turn, shouldn't have caused Muslera too much difficulty, but the goalkeeper, who retired in April 2024 only to come back again and whose prints are on Uruguay's most self-destructive moments this summer, watched it bounce over his hands into the net.
Muslera's Last National Team Moment
Muslera didn't come back out for the second half, surely his last moment with the national team a sad, humiliating one. Nor did Ugarte, who was carried off injured. It was hard to avoid feeling that Uruguay's hopes went with him if only because of the absurd fatalism of how it had all happened again, something cruel in the way they had conceded here and in both games in Miami too. This was a picture of their tournament, the whole sorry mess.
Uruguay's Late Attempts Fall Short
Uruguay tried to go at Spain, but their limitations remained and time escaped. They couldn't muster a shot on target until Mathías Olivera on 83 minutes, and it wasn't even clear that was a shot at all. When Nicolás de la Cruz added a second two minutes later, it was from 30 yards and easily saved. Besides, almost immediately after, Ferran Torres got in, one-on-one, only to hit the bar. Spain's count, then, remained one, but it was enough.
Red Card Caps Disastrous Campaign
All that was left for Uruguay was to get the red card that could have come sooner, when Canobbio launched into another wild lunge just after De la Cruz had whacked Williams and an hour of hunting season on Lamine Yamal. At the side of the pitch, the confrontations began, but the game and Uruguay's World Cup was as good as over, Bielsa sitting on a light blue box and watching it end.
