On the stroke of halftime against Spain, Uruguay suffered a major injury blow as Manuel Ugarte was forced off the pitch after picking up a knock while tracking back to challenge for the ball.
Spain midfielder Pedri was controlling the ball near the center circle when three Uruguayan players converged to win back possession. Among them was Manuel Ugarte, who ultimately came off worst in the challenge.
The Manchester United midfielder stretched to reach the ball and, as the challenge failed, went down to the turf in clear distress. Suffering an apparent left knee injury, he was unable to continue and was substituted for Nicolas de la Cruz.
Uruguay against the wall after 45 minutes
Initially, Uruguay was aiming for a draw with Spain to clinch a spot in the Round of 32. However, things got complicated very quickly for La Celeste.
🚨🇺🇾 Knee injury for Manuel Ugarte, forced to leave the pitch during the game against Spain. pic.twitter.com/g4HT0hFOYb
— US/UKsportsHQ (@GOsisike) June 27, 2026
Alex Baena scored before halftime for Spain following a costly mistake by Fernando Muslera, who was replaced for the second half. With that goal, the Europeans are provisionally knocking Uruguay out of the 2026 World Cup.
While Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia were tied at halftime, a loss for Uruguay would leave them out of the tournament, no matter what happened in the other match. Undoubtedly, this would be one of the biggest disappointments of the tournament and in the history of the Uruguayan national team.
