Why was Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera subbed off vs Spain at 2026 World Cup?

Uruguay need a win against Spain in the 2026 World Cup to dream with moving forward in the tournament. However, after a big blunder that cost the Charruas a goal, veteran goalkeeper Fernando Muslera was subbed off after the first half of the game.

Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa is not one to sugarcoat things, and after Muslera’s huge mistake in Spain’s goal, coupled with another dubious plays, he opted to trust Sergio Rochet in goal for the second half of a must-win game.

This is likely the end of Muslera‘s international career. Given that the goalkeeper is 40 years old, one must wonder if he will ever get a chance at redemption with his country’s national team.

Rochet was expected to be Uruguay’s starting GK in 2026 World Cup

Rochet played most of the qualifiers and even some friendlies ahead of this tournament. Hence, it was shocking to see Muslera being picked as GK1 for the 2026 World Cup. However, Muslera’s mistakes stem back to the other two games of the group stage, so for Bielsa, enough was enough, and Rochet is now back in the field.

This might prove to be too little to late, as Muslera’s mistakes have been very damaging for Uruguay. Against Cape Verde, Muslera also missed quite heavily a ball that ended up with Cape Verde’s equalizer.

See also

What happened to Manuel Ugarte and why was he subbed off by Uruguay vs Spain at 2026 World Cup?

Rochet is also a very experienced goalkeeper

Rochet is now on goal but he is not a spring chicken by any means. He is 33 years old. In fact, Rochet has 35 international caps for Uruguay already, making this his 36th appearance.