Alex Baena scored in the 42nd minute as Spain topped Uruguay 1-0 to capture the top spot in Group H of the World Cup on Friday in Zapopan, Mexico.
In a lackluster match in which both teams struggled to create quality chances, Unai Simon had two saves for Spain, who won their second straight match after opening with a stunning scoreless draw against Cape Verde.
Spain (2-0-1, 7 points) advance to the round of 32 seeking their second World Cup title after capturing the trophy in 2010. They’ll open the knockout stage against the second-place team from Group J, which will be determined on Saturday, on July 2 at Inglewood, Calif.
It was a disastrous tournament for two-time World Cup champion Uruguay (0-1-2, 2 points), who failed to make it out of the group stage for the second straight time.
After neither team put a shot on goal in the first 41 minutes, Baena scored, taking advantage of careless defensive work by Uruguay.
With Uruguay failing to clear a loose ball that toggled between players outside of the 18-yard box on the right flank, Spain’s Marcos Llorente emerged from the pack with the ball and fed Baena on the right side of the box.
Baena’s far-post shot wasn’t perfectly placed but it skipped off the turf and handcuffed Uruguay keeper Fernando Muslera, who dove to his right and got his hands on the ball but couldn’t keep it from dribbling just inside the left post.
In the scramble for the loose ball, Uruguay lost mainstay midfielder Manuel Ugarte, who was taken off on a stretcher with an apparent leg injury.
At the start of the second half, Uruguay replaced Muslera with reserve keeper Sergio Rochet.
The first shot on goal from Uruguay came in the 85th minute when Nicolas de la Cruz fired a right-footed blast from 26 yards out. Simon slid to his right to make the stop.
Spain’s Ferran Torres countered moments later with a shot that glanced off the top of the crossbar.
As Uruguay continued to struggle to create quality opportunities, their frustration showed late in the fifth minute of stoppage time as Agustin Canobbio drew a straight red card on an aggressive tackle of Pau Cubarsi.
–Field Level Media
