Uruguay vs Spain

Spain controlled possession in the first half without carving out clear chances until the breakthrough arrived three minutes before the interval. Marcos Llorente threaded a pass through to Baena on the edge of the box. The Villarreal midfielder took a touch and fired goalwards. Muslera, the 40-year-old recalled from international retirement by Bielsa, got both hands to the ball but could only push it into the roof of the net.

Worse followed before half-time. Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte collided with a team-mate and went down in visible distress. He was stretchered off in tears, replaced by Nicolás de la Cruz. The extent of Ugarte's knee injury is not yet known.

Bielsa had seen enough. At the interval, he substituted Muslera — a goalkeeper with 137 caps — bringing on Sergio Rochet for the second half. It was a seismic call that laid bare the dysfunction inside the Uruguay camp. Within 12 minutes of the restart, Bielsa also hooked his captain Valverde, the Real Madrid midfielder who is arguably Uruguay's best player, sending on Facundo Viñas in the 57th minute.

Spain, who had been comfortable without ever hitting top gear, coasted through the second half. Ferran Torres rattled the crossbar in the 86th minute with a clean strike from inside the box. Canobbio saw red deep into stoppage time (90'+5) for a dangerous, studs-up challenge on Pau Cubarsí that left the referee with no choice.

Álex Baena was Spain's match-winner with the only goal and showed composure in tight spaces throughout. He was substituted in the 66th minute having done his job.

Unai Simón had a quiet night — testament to Uruguay's lack of incision. Spain's goalkeeper was not forced into a single difficult save.

Marcos Llorente provided the assist with a sharp pass into Baena and was a lively presence from right midfield.

Player of the match: Álex Baena (Spain).

Spain's 1-0 scoreline flattered their dominance only modestly. La Roja registered more shots and a higher share of possession, but the telling stat is Uruguay's failure to register meaningful chances — they never really threatened. Spain's overall xG of 1.12 reflects a game they controlled without needing to overexert. The other Group H fixture — Cape Verde 0-0 Saudi Arabia — simultaneously sent the debutants through.

Uruguay's four yellow cards and one red — all in the second half — point to a team that lost its discipline as elimination became inescapable. The Canobbio red was the fifth card of the match for Uruguay.

Spain top Group H with seven points and will face the runners-up of Group J — likely Austria — in the round of 32 on Thursday 2 July (20:00 local, Los Angeles Stadium).

Uruguay finish third in Group H with two points from three matches — 0-0 draws against Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde — and are eliminated. It is the second successive World Cup in which Uruguay have failed to reach the knockout stage, following their 2022 group-stage exit.

Cape Verde's goalless draw against Saudi Arabia sent the debutants through to the knockout rounds alongside Spain — an extraordinary achievement for the island nation of 500,000 people.

This was a controlled, professional Spain performance against a Uruguay side that unravelled completely. Bielsa's decision to recall the 40-year-old Muslera backfired catastrophically; the goalkeeper was arguably at fault for all four goals Uruguay conceded across the group stage. Spain did what was required and move on, but tougher tests await in the knockout phase.

Marcelo Bielsa (Uruguay head coach), via Sky Sports:

"The match was quite even. We deserved a draw. Performance was not the issue. I wasn't able to maximise the potential of Uruguay's players. What I gave Uruguayan football is nothing because any contribution that a coach can make to a national team is futile if you don't have a positive outcome. If you ask me how they'll remember me, they'll remember me as someone who left nothing."

Gary Neville on ITV, via Sky Sports:

"This will be a reset moment. You have a manager who has got experience and a great reputation all around the world but he has just decided to basically take everything down with him on the way out. He will probably not survive this."