GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera came off at halftime of their World Cup group stage finale after his blunder in the first half gifted Spain the lead at Estadio Akron on Friday, as Marcelo Bielsa’s side was eliminated.
Muslera went down and to his right to stop Álex Baena‘s shot in the 42nd minute, but despite getting both hands on the ball, he managed to only swat it into his own net to send Spain into the break trailing by one goal.
OH NO MUSLERA 🤯
SPAIN TAKES THE LEAD! pic.twitter.com/0ja5diIJr8
— FOX Sports (@FOXSports) June 27, 2026
Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa said after the game that Muslera asked to come off at the break and he was replaced with Sergio Rochet.
“No, I didn’t take [the decision],” Bielsa said after the game. “It’s a decision Muslera took himself.”
Uruguay tried to claw back into the game in a physical second half, but their World Cup campaign ended with their 1-0 loss. They finished with just two points in three games. Spain advance as group winners, and Cape Verde, who drew 2-2 with Uruguay, finish in second to advance.
Veteran Argentine coach Bielsa said he thought Uruguay deserved better luck considering its performances, and should have earned seven points instead of two from its group matches. But he took full responsibility for the team’s failure.
“You don’t want explanations, and this is why you’re not asking for an answer, but are rather blaming me for the outcome,” Bielsa said after the game. “And that reflects the work that I did, and it is okay that it is like that right now. But if I have to analyze what happened, I would include the mistakes, because mistakes happen in football.
“There were mistakes, and we still did not manage to have an acceptable ratio between this, the goals that we attempted, and the goals we scored, and the ratio of goals that we conceded.”
At 19th in the FIFA rankings, Uruguay is the highest-ranked team to be eliminated so far.
“Every match is different and you have to win every type of match,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said. “This was a game with maximum difficulty.”
A few Uruguay players cried on the field after the final whistle. Many fans booed the team as it left.
The match was one of the most anticipated of the group stage, but it featured few significant scoring chances by either team.
“I’m very proud of all the work that we have done,” Baena said. “We competed very well.”
Heading into the match, Muslera had allowed three goals in Uruguay’s first two group stage matches — both draws. After his costly error, he was substituted in a World Cup match for the first time in his career.
Early in the second half, Bielsa also substituted Real Madrid star Federico Valverde, who was visibly upset as he made his way to the bench. Before the end of the match, Agustín Canobbio received a red card for a studs-up challenge.
“It’s a decision Muslera took himself, and Valverde, I substituted him for Federico Viñas because I wanted to have a more attacking strategy,” Bielsa said of his substitutions in the match.
Muslera’s early exit will add more fuel to the argument about whether he should continue to have a role with the national team after being a mainstay for many years. Muslera first made his World Cup debut in 2010.
It’s a disappointing finish for Bielsa and Uruguay, who won the World Cup in 1930 and 1950 but have now missed out on the knockout rounds in two successive tournaments.
Spain, seeking their second World Cup title, opened with a shocking 0-0 draw against Cape Verde, but was coming off a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia. La Roja haven’t made it past the round of 16 since winning their lone title in 2010.
Spain striker Lamine Yamal, who entered the tournament nursing a left hamstring injury, had a lackluster outing and again didn’t play the entire match, being replaced by Ferran Torres in the 76th minute. The 18-year-old Yamal was replaced at halftime against Saudi Arabia and came off the bench in the second half against Cape Verde.
Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte had to replaced because of an apparent knee injury near the end of the first half. He was on the ground seeking medical assistance when Spain opened the scoring, and was eventually taken off the field on a stretcher.
King Felipe VI of Spain was among the crowd of 45,065 at Estadio Akron.
A moment of silence was observed before the match in memory of those who died when back-to-back earthquakes struck Venezuela late Wednesday.
Information from The Associated Press and ESPN Global Research was used in this report.
