Uruguay’s dream is crumbling. After a last-gasp draw against Saudi Arabia, La Celeste stumbled again this Sunday against surprising Cape Verde, drawing 1-1 in a match that raised more questions than answers. Marcelo Bielsa’s team, which promised to be one of the World Cup’s revelations, is now against the ropes and must beat Spain in the final match to avoid an early exit.
The outlook for Argentina has also changed. While Lionel Scaloni’s team makes plans to finish first in their group, the potential playoff opponent is no longer clear. Uruguay, which seemed a tough nut to crack, is now an unknown. If La Celeste fails to beat Spain, second place in the group will be in the hands of Cape Verde or Saudi Arabia, two teams that have already shown they can pull off an upset.
The match against Cape Verde was a reflection of what Uruguay has been in this World Cup: intense but disorganized, with gaps and individual errors that condemn them. The first goal against came from a free kick over 30 meters out that the wall, formed by Araújo and Viñas, let through as if it were a hallway. Muslera, the 40-year-old goalkeeper who only earned the starting spot this year, also failed to react in time. And in the second goal, Olivera and Muslera committed a glaring mistake: a short pass inside that the goalkeeper rushed to clear, leaving the goal empty.
«What was decisive for the result was giving up control; the right thing would have been to maintain pressure on the opponent,» Bielsa said after the match, in a clear self-criticism. But words are not enough. Uruguay cannot find the middle ground between intensity and haste. Valverde, Ugarte, and Bentancur run like crazy but fail to build play. Crosses into the box are the only resource, and although they worked to turn the score around (2-1 at the end of the first half), it was not enough to hold the lead.
Cape Verde, on the other hand, stood firm with confidence. The debutants had already drawn 0-0 with Spain and showed that the jersey does not weigh them down. With a compact 4-5-1 formation and quick counterattacks, the Africans troubled Uruguay throughout the match. Their goalkeeper Vozinha, 40, became a national hero: his mother, who could not travel to the United States due to the $15,000 visa fee, finally saw him in the stands at Hard Rock Stadium thanks to FIFA’s help.
Uruguay had chances to win it. Darwin Núñez and De la Cruz came on in the second half and added more offensive aggression. Valverde and Canobbio came close to scoring on a couple of occasions, but it was not to be. Bielsa’s team is making things difficult for themselves, and now the World Cup is a constant stress. On Friday, against Spain, everything is at stake. A defeat will send them back to Montevideo earlier than expected.
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nooo pero mira estos tipos siempre lo mismo uruguay empata con cabo verde y argentina ya se frota las manos bielsa la concha de tu hermana hace algo estos politicos liberales arruinaron el futbol todo es culpa del capitalismo maldito vamos celeste dale que se puede
Para mí Uruguay es un desastre total, Bielsa un sobrevalorado que nos tiene podridos. Empatar contra Cabo Verde, unos muertos, es un papelón. Argentina ya debe estar frotándose las manos. Vayan pa’l carajo todos, menos mal que nosotros vamos primeros. Viva la patria y a cagar a los zurdos que festejan esto. Firmado: El_Ñato_Cuadrado