Bielsa walks as Uruguay crash out of World Cup group stage

Uruguay 0–1 Spain: out at the group stage

It is over. Uruguay 0–1 Spain on Saturday in the final Group H match, and your World Cup is done (1) (2) (3). Alex Baena scored the only goal, beating Fernando Muslera. Uruguay finish the group with zero wins and just two points across three matches, a campaign that never caught fire (1) (3) (5).

Bielsa walks: 'I haven't left anything to Uruguayan football'

Marcelo Bielsa did not wait to be sacked. "I haven't left anything to Uruguayan football," he said after the match, confirming he will not continue as head coach (4) (7). The admission was blunt and final. Bielsa took tactical responsibility earlier in the tournament after the Cape Verde draw, but the group-stage exit leaves nothing left to defend (4).

Lugano unloads on Bielsa: 'He contaminated the atmosphere'

Former Uruguay captain Diego Lugano pulled no punches. He accused Bielsa of contaminating the team environment and leaving the squad worse than he found it (2). The criticism lands on a coach already out the door, but Lugano's words will echo inside the federation as the search for a replacement begins.

A painful stat and a grim pattern

Uruguay managed just two goals in three group matches and became the first CONMEBOL side eliminated at this World Cup (3). Federico Valverde wore the armband through a second straight group-stage exit, a recurrence that stings for a generation that reached the quarterfinals in 2018 (5).

Fan reactions

The mood is brutal. One thread catalogued every goal Uruguay conceded in the group stage, and the comments read like a wake. Every goal Uruguay conceded in the group stage Another clip of Bielsa's furious post-match interview has fans divided, some see passion, others a manager who lost the dressing room weeks ago. Marcelo Bielsa was left absolutely FURIOUS