Uruguay's World Cup ended in the group stage after a single, decisive mistake. With the score level against Spain on June 26, goalkeeper Fernando Muslera got his hands to an Álex Baena shot in the 42nd minute but could only deflect it into his own net, ESPN reported. Spain held on to win 1-0, and Uruguay finished third in Group H, eliminated.

One moment, lasting consequences

Baena's effort was firm but stoppable, the kind of save the 40-year-old Muslera has made thousands of times. Instead the ball squirmed past him and over the line. There was no way back: Spain managed the rest of the match comfortably and took all three points, Yahoo Sports reported, citing the Associated Press.

At halftime Muslera was replaced by Sergio Rochet. Manager Marcelo Bielsa said the decision had come from the player himself. "No, I didn't take it. It's a decision Muslera took himself," Bielsa told reporters afterward. It was the first time Muslera, long Uruguay's first-choice keeper, had been substituted during a World Cup match.

The group's final shape

Spain won Group H with seven points. Cape Verde, playing their first World Cup, secured second place and a historic place in the last 32 by drawing 0-0 with Saudi Arabia in the simultaneous fixture. That left Uruguay and Saudi Arabia on two points apiece, with Uruguay third on the tiebreakers and out.

The night brought further difficulty for the South Americans: Agustín Canobbio was sent off late for a high challenge, compounding a miserable evening.

A second straight early exit

The elimination deepens a worrying trend for Uruguay, a country with a proud World Cup history. It is their second consecutive group-stage exit, a marked decline for a side that reached the semifinals in 2010 and the quarterfinals in 2018. Under Bielsa, a squad featuring established stars such as Federico Valverde has now twice failed to clear the opening round.

For Muslera, the match may mark the end of his long international career on the cruelest of notes. Spain, meanwhile, advance with their unbeaten group record intact and their standing as one of the tournament favorites reaffirmed.