Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera was brutally substituted by Marcelo Bielsa at half-time of their must-win World Cup clash against Spain.
The veteran shot-stopper was at fault for Alex Baena’s opening goal as his tame shot somehow bounced over the 40-year-old, who was playing at his fourth World Cup. In response to his mistake, Bielsa opted to replace him with Sergio Rochet despite convincing Muslera to come out of retirement and feature for his country.
Gary Neville, working as a pundit on ITV for the game, was left particularly shocked by what he was seeing. He said: “Ohhhhh. Brutal – brutal to substitute a goalkeeper, I said I wouldn’t want to be Uruguay’s No.2 but we’re about to find out what he’s like.”
Bielsa then opted to remove Federico Valverde, who reportedly led the questioning of his tactics earlier this week, from the field just before the hour-mark despite Uruguay being in need of a goal.
The South American nation have been in the headlines over the last few days with reports emerging that the players were left unhappy by the intensity of training sessions under Bielsa.
It has also been claimed that senior players suggested a change in approach but that Bielsa insisted they would not be deploying a low block against Spain.
Darwin Nunez returned to the starting XI while Rodrigo Bentancur and Manuel Ugarte again lined up in an energetic midfield. The latter was taken off with what appeared to be a serious knee injury just before half-time.
Though that was after a collision with his own team-mate, the tackles soon started flying in and cards subsequently followed.
View 2 ImagesSpain vs Uruguay at the World Cup involved several late tackles
Pedri was on the receiving end of a strong and dangerous foul from Agustin Canobbio with the Barcelona star seeing his sock ripped from the challenge.
Uruguay’s desperation was clear throughout the game as they had to avoid defeat while also hoping the Saudi Arabia vs Cape Verde clash went in their favour to have any chance of advancing.
Scotland were also paying close attention to the two games with it certainly possible to be one of the groups where the team that finished third would have less points than Steve Clarke’s side.
Article continues below
Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by _ signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Upgrade your World Cup TV setup with the Sky Glass ‘designed for football’This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
from £4.50SkyGet the deal here
Sky is knocking 20% off its entire range of Glass TVs to mark the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to the Sky smart TV that’s ‘designed for football’ from £4.50 per month when taken alongside a Sky TV and Netflix package.