For good or for bad, Marcelo Bielsa knows how to bring the drama. Uruguay are out of the World Cup, with minnows Cape Verde claiming second place in Group H after earning hard-fought draws against Uruguay, Spain and Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, defeat in their final group match against Spain sent Uruguay packing. There were 42 minutes of promise from Bielsa’s side until a calamitous error from Fernando Muslera gifted Spain the lead.
Until that point, Uruguay had been competitive. Their press had caused Spain problems, albeit they persistently demonstrated a lack of quality in the final third.
After conceding, though, Uruguay failed to find the same oomph that had given them a fighting chance of advancing.
There has been reported division in squad, and Federico Valverde’s hostile reaction to being substituted after an hour seemed to be a manifestation of the rancour.
In the end, it turned bitter, and a late challenge from Agustin Canobbio – who had been walking a tightrope for most of the affair – saw a stoppage time red card brandished to compound the Uruguayan misery.
As much as this was a shock exit, in some ways it was a welcome one, as it has enabled the fairytale story of World Cup debutants Cape Verde to continue into the knockouts, where the nation off the coast of West Africa will face holders Argentina in the Round of 32.
Here Daily Mail Sport assess a decisive evening in Guadalajara…
Big names, bigger disappointments
The potential for jeopardy and shock early exits seemed rather limited when FIFA confirmed plans for a 48-team World Cup, in which only 12 teams exit at the group stage. Yet two-time champions Uruguay became the first major outfit to depart from the 2026 tournament in a campaign that significantly underdelivered.
With Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde drawn into the same group as Spain and Uruguay, most expected the final group game to determine which of the former World Champions would win the group. Nobody expected Uruguay to be fighting to avoid an early flight home.
But their campaign was riddled with mistakes, a lack of intensity and little creativity – a remarkable sentence to associate with a Marcelo Bielsa side.
This is a talented group. Darwin Nunez, Manuel Ugarte, Rodrigo Bentancur and Maxi Araujo have a noble pedigree. Meanwhile, Real Madrid’s Valverde is one of the world’s best midfielders.
Valverde and Araujo aside, however, the aforementioned cluster of players are underperforming at club level – despite showing promise throughout their careers – and that has trickled into the national team.
Take Nunez, for example. His last club match before the World Cup was in February, having been removed from Al-Hilal’s squad after the winter transfer window for the Saudi club to register Karim Benzema.
In part, their lack of rhythm at this tournament is down to the conflict surrounding manager Marcelo Bielsa, who has reportedly caused a tense atmosphere in camp. But Bielsa cannot take all the blame, the players must take a long, hard look in the mirror to identify why they have failed to live up to their capabilities.
Messy Muslera
There is honour in Muslera coming out of international retirement to step up for his country at the World Cup, particularly when a manager of Bielsa’s calibre pleaded for his return. But one has to wonder whether he should have bothered.
Humiliated, Muslera was hooked at half-time after a dreadful mistake handed Spain the lead. Alex Baena – the only Spaniard in the penalty area – came onto a Marcos Llorente cross and managed to get a faint effort away.
It should have been a routine stop for Muslera, having got two hands to the shot no more than a yard to his right. However, his disastrous World Cup continued as his feeble hands tipped the ball into the back of the net.
Muslera’s Uruguay career came to a humiliating end in Guadalajara
This was the third error by Muslera that led to a goal at this tournament, and his Uruguay career, spanning 17 years and 137 caps, came to a brutal end when Bielsa replaced the 40-year-old with Sergio Rochet.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but Muslera should have stuck with his initial instincts to remove himself from the at-hand options in the national pool.
More to follow
