Gary Neville calls Marcelo Bielsa’s decision ‘brutal’ in the Spain vs. Uruguay game
Gary Neville was part of the ITV pundit team for the World Cup match between Spain and Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay. There wasn’t much to discuss at halftime, as the first half was pretty quiet between these two teams, who have won the World Cup a total of three times combined.
Spain, the 2010 champions, took the lead with a goal from Alex Baena in the 42nd minute. But the experts felt it was a mistake by Uruguay’s goalkeeper, Fernando Muslera. The 40-year-old keeper seemed a bit uneasy during the first half, especially when dealing with high balls from Spanish crosses and corners.
Muslera, making his 137th appearance for Uruguay—possibly his last—would probably want to forget this game after his error led to the goal. Baena’s shot from just outside the penalty area wasn’t very powerful or well-placed, but Muslera couldn’t stop it. He seemed unsure whether to catch the ball or deflect it for a corner, and ended up just pushing it into the goal.
During halftime, ITV showed the teams coming back onto the field, but Muslera was replaced by Sergio Rochet, with no sign of the veteran keeper. Neville simply called the substitution “brutal,” showing how tough the decision by Bielsa was to take the experienced goalkeeper off.
The second half started with Spain leading 1-0. This meant Spain would top the group and eliminate Uruguay, the two-time world champions. If Uruguay were knocked out, it would be the first time in their history they’d exit the World Cup at the group stage two times in a row.