Spain beat Uruguay 1-0 in Guadalajara on Saturday to win World Cup Group H and reach the knockout stage. Alex Baena's first-half strike settled it. Uruguay were eliminated.
Spain beat Uruguay 1-0 in Guadalajara on Saturday to win World Cup Group H and reach the knockout stage. Alex Baena's first-half strike settled it. Uruguay were eliminated.
Spain followed their 4-0 thrashing of Saudi Arabia by edging Uruguay 1-0 in Guadalajara, sealing top spot in World Cup Group H and a place in the knockouts.
The win extended Luis de la Fuente's unbeaten run to 34 matches. It also ended Uruguay's tournament. Marcelo Bielsa's two-time world champions finished bottom on goals, level with Saudi Arabia on two points.
The only goal arrived in the 42nd minute. Alex Baena found space near the edge of the box and drove low at goal, with veteran goalkeeper Fernando Muslera unable to hold the effort as it slipped into the net.
Uruguay began aggressively, crowding 18-year-old Lamine Yamal on the right. Their best first-half chance fell to Darwin Núñez, who chose a backheel instead of a shot after Federico Valverde robbed Rodri. Spain controlled the game with 67% possession and Uruguay failed to register a shot on target.
The contest turned ill-tempered late on. Agustín Canobbio was sent off in added time for a challenge on Pau Cubarsí, leaving Uruguay with ten men.
De la Fuente praised his players' resilience after a physical match. "Today's game really put us to the test," he said. "We've played some very demanding matches, and the team always steps up. We played a different kind of game today, and the team stepped up again."
Baena described the goal as a career highlight. "It might be one of the goals that has made me happiest," he said. "We knew it was going to be a tough match. They were fighting for their lives, and we were fighting for the top spot. We didn't show our best form, but we competed very well."
Bielsa, who took Muslera off at half-time, accepted responsibility for Uruguay's blunt attack. "I wasn't able to make the most of the potential the Uruguayan players had," he said. He added that after substituting Valverde he "tried to get the team to be more aggressive on offence".
Yeremy Pino was initially feared to have fractured his shoulder, but later scans ruled out a break, and the medical staff hope to have him available for part of the knockout stage.
The coach declined to criticise the referee, pointing to tools such as VAR for handling difficult games. He named Pedri, Fabián Ruiz, Dani Olmo, Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi as interchangeable midfield options, and said ball speed and fluidity were the main areas to improve while the defence remained "very strong."
"I have total confidence in this group," he said. "It is a team that wants to keep growing. We are on the right path, but every match from now on will be even more difficult."
Spain finished with seven points from two wins and a draw. Newcomers Cape Verde took the second knockout berth after three straight draws. The 2010 winners now face Austria on 2 July at the Los Angeles Stadium.
