GUADALAJARA, Mexico — Spain coach Luis de la Fuente has confirmed that the team’s qualification for the World Cup knockout stage — topping Group H after a 1-0 win over Uruguay — came at a cost, with injury concerns over wingers Nico Williams and Yéremy Pino.
Williams and Pino were both introduced as second-half substitutes in the match in Guadalajara, Mexico, after Álex Baena had put Spain ahead before the interval.
The pair’s ongoing participation in the tournament is now in doubt, after Pino sustained a collar-bone injury in a fall — finishing the game in pain — and Williams suffered a muscular problem, having only just recovered from injury.
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“[Williams] felt discomfort,” De la Fuente said, speaking after the game. “It could be a strain, or it might be fatigue. But the worst thing is the huge pain we feel with Yéremy, who could miss the rest of the World Cup.”
Pino left the stadium wearing a sling.
“[Pino’s] could be a collar bone injury,” he added. “We’ll see, he’ll undergo tests tomorrow. He’s suffering a lot. He made a huge effort to hold on until the end of the game. It was heroic.”
Williams has had a difficult season, struggling for form and fitness with Athletic Club in LaLiga, and now the national team.
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De la Fuente refused to criticise coach Marcelo Bielsa — who he said he “admired” pre-match — for Uruguay’s physical approach in the second half, with Agustín Canobbio receiving a late red card.
“I still admire Bielsa,” he said. “Players play the games. We didn’t feel very comfortable in the game, but that’s what the referee is there for. It was a game played at the limit, extremely tough.”
