Spain beat Uruguay to reach FIFA World Cup knockouts as Cape Verde advance

Alex Baena's first-half goal helped Spain defeat Uruguay 1-0 to finish atop Group H and qualify for the FIFA World Cup knockout stage. Cape Verde also progressed, while Marcelo Bielsa's Uruguay were eliminated after finishing with just two points

Guadalajara: Alex Baena’s first-half strike proved decisive as Spain defeated Uruguay 1-0 on Friday to top Group H and book their place in the FIFA World Cup knockout stage, while Marcelo Bielsa’s side bowed out of the tournament.

Spain topped the group with seven points from two wins and a draw, with tournament newcomers Cape Verde taking the second knockout spot after three draws. Uruguay departed with just two points, the same as bottom-placed Saudi Arabia.

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Baena opened the scoring in the 42nd minute by finding some space on the edge of the box and blasting a shot past experienced Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera.

It was a bit of an odd goal, with both Manuel Ugarte and Lamine Yamal receiving treatment on the field as play continued, but Baena did not hesitate.

Uruguay had started brightly, with Varela tasked with tightly marking the dangerous Yamal, while Spain’s early play centred on two well-placed set-pieces from Baena. The first found Pau Cubarsi, who headed over in the 16th minute, and two minutes later another delivery from the left saw Cubarsi head over again.

The South Americans’ best chance before the interval came in the 27th minute when Federico Valverde pounced on a Rodri mistake and slipped the ball through to Darwin Nunez, but the striker went for an over-ambitious backheel instead of shooting.

Muslera was taken off at half-time following his error, but Uruguay struggled to carve out many chances in the second half despite enjoying more possession.

Second-half substitute Federico Vinas fired a chance high over the bar from a Maxi Araujo cross, while Spain looked lively on the counterattack.

Dani Olmo skewed a shot wide from a well-worked Yamal pass after 63 minutes before Ferran Torres struck the crossbar following an early Ruiz break soon afterwards.

Uruguay launched some good attacks in the closing stages, but goalkeeper Unai Simon made vital saves to deny Mathias Olivera and Nicolas de la Cruz.

Uruguay’s disappointment spilled over into stoppage time when Agustin Canobbio was shown a red card for a challenge on Cubarsi, bringing a difficult tournament to a painful close.