Spain has officially ended Uruguay’s World Cup journey by securing a 0-1 win over the two-time world champions in their final Group H fixture at Guadalajara Stadium, with Alex Baena netting the decisive goal in the 42nd minute. Luis de la Fuente’s side have topped the group with seven points out of possible nine and zero goals conceded, booking their passage into the Round of 32. Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa’s men have crashed out in third place and been surprisingly replaced in the knockouts by Cape Verde, triggering a sensational upset.
It was a moment of outright panic that decided the World Cup clash between two of the most prestigious nations on the planet. While a somewhat laborious three points were claimed by the Spanish, maintaining a sensational defensive record throughout the group stage, what shone was the astonishing maturity displayed by Barcelona's stars in a highly physical and draining encounter.
The decisive moment
The moment of truth, and undoubtedly a moment that will haunt veteran Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera for years, arrived just before half time. In the 42nd minute, Spanish midfielder Alex Baena pounced on an errant ball within the box; Muslera fluffed his lines in quite catastrophic fashion allowing the slightly tame shot to slither through his grasp, trickling over the goal line for Spain to claim the lead.
To make matters worse for Bielsa’s side, United midfielder Manuel Ugarte had to be stretched off with a bad knee injury in the build up to the goal.
The Barcelona impact
The attacking spark, evident in Spain previous thrashing of Saudi Arabia 4-0, was largely missing, with Uruguay under instructions to strictly mark and target the gifted Barcelona youngster, Lamine Yamal.
But even under heavy defensive attention and consistent fouls, the prodigious winger was the Spanish attacking threat; weaving past defenders and creating chances for teammates, including an almost assist for Dani Olmo in the second half prior to being replaced on the 75th minute.
While Yamal spread the play, Cubarsi stitched it all together at the heart of the Spanish defense with an exemplary display of intelligent defending and Distribution. He was in full control of Uruguayan attacks by keeping Darwin Nunez in isolation and soaking up relentless late-pressure as Bielsa chucked all manner of attacking subs and was even seen taking off Real Madrid dynamo, Federico Valverde, off for something more imaginative. But the Spanish back line led by Pau Cubarsi proved unbreakable.
Ferran Torres almost doubled Spain's advantage on a counter-attack in stoppage-time, dancing into space and slamming a brutal effort off the crossbar.
It was a case of too little, too late for Uruguay, who completely unravelled in desperation, their discipline abandoned as they looked for a leveller. Agustin Canobbio received a straight red card deep in added time for a dangerously mistimed tackle on Pau Cubarsi, ending his side's ill-fated campaign on a foul.
What's next for both teams
Spain will now make the long journey to Los Angeles to face either Austria or Algeria and an impregnable defense still to concede. For Uruguay, the post-mortem begins immediately after one of the most disappointing World Cup campaigns in their storied history.
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