Spain overcame Uruguay 1-0 on Friday thanks to another goalkeeping error by Fernando Muslera, advancing to the World Cup knockout stage and eliminating the South American powerhouse.
Uruguay, a two-time champion, will go without a win in its three Group H matches. Spain, the European champion, won the group with seven points and will meet the second-place team from Group J—either Austria or Algeria—on Thursday in Inglewood, California.
After Muslera failed to completely swat away his attempt from inside the box, Álex Baena scored in the 42nd minute. The 40-year-old Muslera urged coach Marcelo Bielsa to replace him at halftime after making his third mistake of the competition.
“He is the one who decided to leave,” Bielsa stated.
According to the seasoned Argentine coach, Uruguay should have received seven points rather than two from its group games and should have had better luck given its efforts. However, he accepted full responsibility for the team’s shortcomings.
“No one wants to listen to explanations now, the blame is on me, I’m the one responsible for the disappointing work that I did. I had a group of quality players.” Bielsa remarked.
Uruguay is the highest-ranked side to be eliminated thus far, sitting 19th in the FIFA rankings.
With three points, one more than both Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde finished second in the group after playing Saudi Arabia to a 0-0 stalemate on Friday. Despite finishing third, Uruguay did not earn enough points to be one of the top eight third-place teams that would move on.
After the final whistle, a few Uruguayan players sobbed on the pitch. As the players departed, many supporters jeered at them.
Despite being one of the most anticipated games of the group stage, neither team had many good scoring opportunities.
Baena remarked, “I’m really proud of all the work that we have done. We competed very well.”
Federico Viñas tumbled down inside the area in the closing minutes, and Uruguayan teammates passionately called for a penalty.
Near the conclusion, there was a little anxiety. Agustín Canobbio of Uruguay was sent off in stoppage time for tackling Paul Cubarsi of Spain. After being escorted off the pitch by his teammates, he returned to attempt to speak with the referee after the final whistle.
Uruguay, the 1930 and 1950 World Cup winners, entered the last group match in disarray following draws with Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde.
According to Uruguayan media, players were reportedly unhappy with Bielsa.
Spain, looking to win its second World Cup, had already defeated Saudi Arabia 4-0 before opening with an unexpected 0-0 draw against Cape Verde. Since winning their first championship in 2010, La Roja have not advanced past the round of 16.
Lamine Yamal, a striker for Spain who had a left hamstring injury going into the tournament, had a poor performance and was substituted by Ferran Torres in the 76th minute.
Yamal, 18, came off the bench in the second half against Cape Verde and was substituted at halftime against Saudi Arabia.
Manuel Ugarte, a midfielder for Uruguay, had to be substituted near the conclusion of the first half due to what appeared to be a knee injury.
When Spain opened the score, he was on the ground getting medical attention. He was eventually carried off the pitch on a stretcher.
Among the 45,065 spectators at Estadio Akron was King Felipe VI of Spain.
Prior to the game, there was a moment of silence in remembrance of those who lost their lives when consecutive earthquakes devastated Venezuela late on Wednesday.
Source: newsthemegh.com