Alex Baena’s goal in the 42nd minute ended Uruguay’s Cape Verde World Cup hopes and sent Spain through after a 1-0 win in Guadalajara. Uruguay were out at full time, while Spain advanced from Group H with a result built on one clean finish and a goalkeeper’s lapse.
Baena Punishes Muslera
The decisive moment came just before half-time. Baena struck from distance and Fernando Muslera let the shot slip into the net, giving Spain the lead on their only shot on target all night. Uruguay never recovered the match on the scoreboard after that, and the margin stayed at 1-0 to the end.
The opening minutes had already hinted at Spain’s sharper start. Inside a minute, Mikel Oyarzabal hit the side netting after Lamine Yamal robbed a loose ball and slipped him in. Inside four minutes, Pedri almost played Yamal through, and inside six minutes Yamal went to take a corner and drew a roar from the crowd.
Uruguay’s Late Push
Uruguay did not test Spain early. Before the 80th minute, they had not produced a shot on target, and they finished with only two shots on target all night. Neither came before the final 10 minutes, which left them chasing the game far too late to force a response.
That is the shape of the loss: Spain needed one clear chance to win, while Uruguay spent most of the night without a threat that could change the score. The numbers are blunt. Spain had one shot on target and still advanced, while Uruguay had two and still exited the tournament.
Group H Leaves Uruguay Out
The result also fits a wider pattern for Uruguay. They had already failed to get beyond a draw against Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde before facing Spain, and this defeat sent them out for the second World Cup in a row.
Guadalajara sang the name of Cape Verde as Uruguay exited, a last sound that matched the way the group ended for them. Spain move on with the only goal Baena needed, and Uruguay leave knowing their tournament ended with too little cutting edge and one mistake they could not recover from.
