Spain beat Uruguay 1-0 to clinch World Cup Group H top spot

Spain wins World Cup group, beating Uruguay 1-0 arsenic Muslera’s mistake sends two-time champions home.

Uruguay bowed retired of the World Cup arsenic goalkeeper Fernando Muslera’s howler talented Spain a 1-0 triumph successful Guadalajara to unafraid apical spot successful Group H.

Alex Baena’s anemic changeable slipped done Muslera’s grasp for the lone extremity arsenic Spain avoided a past 32 showdown against Argentina.

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The European champions volition alternatively look Austria oregon Algeria adjacent successful Los Angeles connected Thursday.

Uruguay’s decision allowed debutants Cape Verde to unafraid 2nd spot and a gathering with Lionel Messi and the defending champions, acknowledgment to a 0-0 gully against Saudi Arabia.

Two-time winners Uruguay go the highest-ranked broadside to clang retired successful the radical stages arsenic the decision rounded disconnected a miserable tourney for Marcelo Bielsa and his squad.

After draws against Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia, reports of a revolt successful the Uruguay campy emerged, with starring players, including Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde, clashing with Bielsa implicit his tactics.

Spain’s King Felipe was among those successful attendance, but the lone clash betwixt 2 erstwhile winners of the World Cup successful the radical stages was a immense disappointment.

Lamine Yamal successful the starting lineup had sparked the Spanish onslaught into beingness successful a 4-0 thrashing of Saudi Arabia aft La Roja began successful underwhelming manner with a goalless gully against Cape Verde.

But different laboured attacking show leaves Luis de la Fuente with plentifulness to ponder earlier the knockout stages statesman connected Sunday.

A leader of Uruguay’s tally to the semifinals successful 2010, Muslera was astatine responsibility for some Cape Verde’s goals successful a 2-2 draw.

And successful Guadalajara, Spain had hardly threatened the Uruguay extremity earlier the 40-year-old allowed Baena’s changeable to dribble implicit the enactment from Marcos Llorente’s transverse connected 42 minutes.

To hitch brackish into Uruguayan wounds, Manchester United midfielder Manuel Ugarte was injured successful the buildup to the extremity and stretchered disconnected with what appeared to beryllium a superior genu injury.

Bielsa replaced Muslera astatine half-time with Sergio Rochet, and the Uruguay brag made an adjacent bolder telephone erstwhile Valverde was taken disconnected connected the hr mark.

De la Fuente besides turned to his bench, and the instauration of Dani Olmo and Fabian Ruiz yet injected immoderate beingness into the Spanish performance.

Olmo should person done amended erstwhile helium spooned a changeable implicit from a uncommon flash of Yamal’s brilliance to tee up his Barcelona teammate.

Yamal was replaced 15 minutes from clip arsenic his minutes proceed to beryllium managed aft a hamstring wounded ended his nine play prematurely.

His replacement, Ferran Torres, should person doubled the pb 5 minutes from clip but deed the barroom with conscionable the goalkeeper to beat.

Uruguay’s miserable tourney was summed up erstwhile Agustin Canobbio was shown a consecutive reddish paper successful stoppage clip for a chaotic lunge connected Pau Cubarsi.

Hyped arsenic 1 of the pre-tournament favourites, Spain are present 34 competitory games unbeaten and are yet to concede a extremity astatine the World Cup.

But successful stark opposition to immoderate of the scintillating attacking play connected amusement from the likes of France, Argentina and the Netherlands, La Roja are yet to person successful their quest for a 2nd World Cup triumph.