The result confirmed Uruguay's exit. Without Ronald Araújo at center back or De Arrascaeta pulling strings in attack, the squad gaps were too wide to paper over. They finish with 0 wins, 2 draws, and 1 loss — not enough to survive even the third-place calculation. Cape Verde advances as group runner-up. Canobbio's studs-up lunge on Pau Cubarsí in stoppage time, which earned him a straight red, ended the night on the worst possible note.
Spain didn't need to be brilliant — they just needed to be patient, and Muslera handled the rest. Baena's 42nd-minute finish was the only goal required, and once Spain had it, they managed the match without breaking a sweat. Rodri logged 106 accurate passes at 100% completion and looked every bit the player who ran this group wire to wire. Yamal kept Uruguay's patched-up backline honest through the first half, and Simón's 2 saves were enough to keep a clean sheet.
De la Fuente rotated aggressively after the break — Pedri, Merino, Baena, Yamal, and Oyarzabal were all off by the 76th minute — with one eye clearly on the knockout bracket. Torres nearly added a second off the bench when he rattled the crossbar late, but 1-0 was plenty. Spain leave Group H as winners and enter the Round of 32 with a healthy, largely rested squad.
We went 3-for-3. The Spain moneyline was the call we felt best about, and the bull cases around a depleted Uruguay backline and a healthy Rodri delivered exactly as drawn up. The spread pick of Uruguay +1.5 covered: Spain won by exactly 1 goal, and Bielsa's defensive discipline held the margin even after Ugarte went off injured before halftime. The under at 2.5 cashed without drama — 1 total goal with Uruguay refusing to open up and Spain content not to overextend after taking the lead. Pre-match markets had Spain at roughly 58% to win outright; they delivered, and the roughly 17% Uruguay carried into the night never had the finishing to test them. Uruguay exit with 2 points and no answers up front; Spain advance as group winners and sit at 81% to go a round deeper into the Round of 16.
Spain0-1
Cape Verde2-2
Saudi Arabia1-1
Portugal1-0
Austria3-0Uruguay1-0Saudi Arabia4-0Cape Verde0-0