Spain showed another side of their growing World Cup credentials as Álex Baena’s first-half strike secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Uruguay, sealing top spot in Group H and ending Marcelo Bielsa’s side’s campaign in painful fashion.
It was far from the flowing football many expected from La Roja. Instead, Luis de la Fuente’s men relied on discipline, patience and a rock-solid defence to grind out the result that sends them confidently into the knockout rounds.
The decisive moment arrived three minutes before half-time. Marcos Llorente’s teasing delivery found Baena inside the box, and while Fernando Muslera got both hands to the shot, the veteran goalkeeper could only help the ball into his own net.
It was another heartbreaking error for the 40-year-old, who had come out of international retirement for one final World Cup. Having now committed three mistakes leading directly to goals during the tournament, Muslera was replaced by Sergio Rochet at the interval, an image that summed up Uruguay’s disappointing campaign.
Spain had threatened early through Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal, but Uruguay gradually settled. Juan Manuel Sanabria frustrated Yamal, while Darwin Núñez failed to capitalise on the South Americans’ best attacking spell before Baena’s breakthrough changed the game.
Uruguay pushed after the restart but rarely troubled Unai Simón. Spain, meanwhile, looked comfortable without ever reaching top gear. Dani Olmo squandered a clear chance to double the advantage before Ferran Torres struck the crossbar late on.
Any lingering hopes of a comeback disappeared in stoppage time when Agustín Canobbio received a straight red card for a reckless challenge on Pau Cubarsí, bringing a frustrating night to an ugly conclusion.
For Spain, the clean sheet may be just as encouraging as the victory. Their attack, led by teenage sensation Yamal, has grabbed the headlines throughout the tournament, yet their defensive organisation has quietly become their greatest strength. They completed the group stage without conceding a goal and have now allowed remarkably few clear chances throughout the competition.
The statistics underline that control. Spain have not faced a single first-half shot on target in any of their three group matches and continue to limit opponents to very few opportunities, a hallmark of teams capable of making deep World Cup runs.
For Uruguay, however, difficult questions remain. This is a second consecutive group-stage exit, and Bielsa admitted the responsibility rests with him.
“The match was quite even. We deserved a draw. We should have had a draw. Performance was not the issue,” he said.
Reflecting on his spell in charge, Bielsa added: “I wasn’t able to maximise the potential of Uruguay’s players. If you ask me how they’ll remember me, they’ll remember me as someone who left nothing.”
Those words captured the mood of a nation whose World Cup dream faded not with a dramatic collapse, but through another costly mistake.
