GUADALAJARA, Mexico — In a dramatic conclusion to Group H play at the FIFA World Cup on Friday, a costly third tournament error from veteran Uruguayan goalkeeper Fernando Muslera handed Spain a narrow 1-0 victory, securing the European champions a spot in the knockout stage and eliminating the two-time World Cup winning South American side.
With the result, Uruguay exits the tournament winless after three group matches, a disappointing end to a campaign that started with back-to-back draws against Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde that left the side already on the brink heading into the final fixture. Ranked 19th globally by FIFA, Uruguay stands as the highest-ranked nation to be eliminated from this year’s tournament to date. As Group H winners with seven total points, Spain will next face the Group J runner-up — either Austria or Algeria — next Thursday in Inglewood, California, as they chase what would be their second World Cup title, 14 years after their 2010 triumph.
The decisive moment of the match came in the 42nd minute, when young Spanish attacker Álex Baena fired a shot from inside the 18-yard box. Muslera got a hand to the effort but failed to clear it decisively, with the ball bouncing over the line to give Spain the only goal of the game. The 40-year-old goalkeeper, who had already made two high-profile mistakes across Uruguay’s first two group matches, was substituted by head coach Marcelo Bielsa at halftime following the blunder.
In the other Group H fixture played Friday, Cape Verde held Saudi Arabia to a goalless draw to claim second place in the group with three points, finishing one point ahead of both Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. Uruguay, which finished third in the standings, failed to accumulate enough points to qualify as one of the eight best third-place teams that advance to the knockout round. Cape Verde’s historic progression marks the first time the small island nation has ever reached the World Cup knockout stage.
The match, one of the most highly anticipated group stage fixtures of the tournament, produced few clear scoring opportunities for either side. Tensions flared in the closing minutes, after Uruguay’s players loudly appealed for a penalty following a tackle on forward Federico Viñas inside the Spanish penalty area. Tempers boiled over in stoppage time when Uruguay’s Agustín Canobbio was shown a red card for a rough challenge on Spanish defender Paul Cubarsi, requiring his teammates to escort him off the pitch. After the final whistle, Canobbio returned to the field to confront the match referee over the decision.
Emotions ran high for Uruguay in the final moments: multiple Uruguayan players were seen weeping on the pitch after the final whistle, and sections of fans booed the team as they exited the field for the final time in this tournament. Reports circulating in Uruguayan media before the match revealed underlying unrest in the squad, with multiple players said to be unhappy with the direction of veteran Argentine head coach Marcelo Bielsa.
For Spain, the road to the final group match has been uneven: La Roja opened their campaign with a surprise 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, before bouncing back with a convincing 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia to put themselves in position to top the group. It has been 14 years since Spain’s only World Cup title in 2010, and the side has not advanced past the round of 16 in any edition of the tournament since that triumph.
Spanish star winger Lamine Yamal, who entered the tournament managing a left hamstring injury, turned in another underwhelming performance and was substituted in the 76th minute by Ferran Torres, not lasting the full 90 minutes for the third consecutive group match. The 18-year-old was taken off at halftime against Saudi Arabia and came off the bench in the second half of the Cape Verde fixture.
Uruguay also suffered a key first-half injury: midfielder Manuel Ugarte was forced off the pitch with an apparent knee injury just moments before Spain scored their winning goal. Ugarte was on the receiving treatment on the grass when Baena found the back of the net, and was eventually carried off the field on a stretcher.
A crowd of 45,065 fans packed Estadio Akron for the match, including King Felipe VI of Spain. Ahead of kickoff, a moment of silence was held to honor the victims of back-to-back earthquakes that struck Venezuela late Wednesday.