Spain made it through to the knockout stages as group winners on Friday night, following a 1-0 victory over Uruguay in their final group game. It may well have come at a heavy price though, with La Roja counting the cost of their efforts in the aftermath.
Alex Baena’s goal in the 42nd minute was the only strike of the game, in a match with just three shots on target all game. Despite Uruguay’s desperation to get back on level terms and keep themselves in the tournament, it manifested itself in physical challenges rather than aggressive attacking play. That in turn took its toll on La Roja.
Yeremy Pino likely ruled out of World Cup with shoulder injury
Crystal Palace winger Yeremy Pino came off the bench in the 66th minute to replace the match-winner Baena, but following a physical challenge from Brian Rodriguez in the closing stages, injured his shoulder. Spain manager Luis de la Fuente confirmed that it the shoulder injury could be serious.
Unfortunately, it could be a collarbone injury; we’ll see—he’s undergoing tests tomorrow. He is in a lot of pain, and the effort he made to push through to the end of the match was tremendous—it was a heroic performance. I am very grateful, and his teammates even more so,” he told Marca.
The Spanish paper go on to confirm that Pino likely has a broken shoulder, which would keep him out for multiple months, and thus the remainder of the tournament.
Nico Williams also a major doubt
“We have to wait; he’s experiencing some discomfort. It could be muscle overload or fatigue. We’ll see,” de la Fuente told the press about Nico Williams, who also suffered a late injury. He came on in the 76th minute, but was hacked down by Nicolas de la Cruz in a bid to stop a counter-attack.
Pino was one of the options to take Williams’ place on the left wing, but Spain may be left without both. The Athletic Club winger is suffering from pain in his groin, and if it is a muscle tear, he too will miss the rest of the tournament. Liverpool winger Victor Munoz is yet to recover from his own injury issues, while Ferran Torres and Baena are the only other options for that spot, but neither are naturals.
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