Key events<\/p>\n
63 min: Dani Olmo skips into the area and there are appeals for a free-kick just outside the box but the ref waves play on. Spain<\/a> will almost certainly win this group. They\u2019ll face either Austria or Algeria in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 61 min: Spain have completed 400 passes to Uruguay\u2019s 132, although each team has had two shots on target.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 60 min: Spain<\/a> subs: Dani Olmo and Fabian Ruiz trot on for Pedri and Merino.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 58 min: Vinas on for Valverde. Uruguay<\/a> will hope he gives them a more physical threat up front.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 55 min: A big yelp from Lamine Yamal as \u200bSanabria hacks him. He is correctly booked. I wonder if Spain will take the teenager off soon if Uruguay<\/a> are feeling spicy.<\/p>\n Juan Manuel Sanabria goes through the back of Lamine Yamal. Photograph: Natacha Pisarenko\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.29 EDT<\/p>\n 52 min: De La Cruz attempts a through ball to Canobbio but the pair don\u2019t connect. Uruguay<\/a> have been a little sparkier in this half but don\u2019t start organising the winners parade in Montevideo just yet.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 49 min: In tribute to the match being played in Guadalajara I will be ditching my Pepsi Zero for a Mexican Coke this half. The real sugar means it\u2019s a health food. Talking of keepers, Uruguay\u2019s best chance in this match has probably been to exploit the shaky Unai Simon. Something for Spain to think about going forward.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.15 EDT<\/p>\n 46 min: Yikes, Rochet is on for Muslera. Yes, he let in the only shot on target in this match and he was bad in the other two matches but that\u2019s a horrible way for his long World Cup<\/a> \u2013 this is his fourth \u2013 career to end. Still, Bielsa doesn\u2019t really do sentiment.<\/p>\n Sergio Rochet is on to replace Muslera in the Uruguay goal. Photograph: Carl Recine\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.17 EDT<\/p>\n My colleague Beau Dure is covering the Cape Verde v Saudi Arabia match. And at the moment it\u2019s Cape Verde who are going through to face Argentina in the last 32. Here\u2019s Beau on the match so far:<\/p>\n \u201cCape Verde social media icon Vozinha has made the only save of a sloppy first half, but the Blue Sharks were in the ascendancy in the last 15 minutes of the half and are poised to advance at the expense of Saudi Arabia. And Uruguay<\/a>, apparently.\u201d<\/p>\n You can follow the rest here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Half-time emails:<\/p>\n Justin Kavanagh: \u201cIs it too obvious to state that Uruguay<\/a> have looked a little toothless up-front without Luis Suarez? Even the wisdom of Bielsa, with all his endless drilling, is not going to get them the crown.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul Cockburn: \u201cMy coverage here in NZ jumped to commercial as the Spain<\/a> goal went in. Was that a FIFA feed thing, or do I need to go and rage at our local people?\u201d<\/p>\n Insert dental pun here. Photograph: Pascal Guyot\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.16 EDT<\/p>\n Half-time: Uruguay 0-1 Spain<\/p>\n Uruguay are heading out of the World Cup<\/a>, and based on that performance \u2013 and their other two in this World Cup -they can\u2019t complain too much. Yes, Spain are one of the best teams in the world but Uruguay have been curiously lifeless considering what is at stake. Spain have been \u2026 fine. They don\u2019t need to get much from this match but neither did France, who pulverised Norway earlier in the today.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 45 min: +7: Maxi Araujo whips in a free-kick but a Spanish head gets to it first. Uruguay<\/a> have offered very li\u2026 Correction: Araujo has an excellent chance that Unai Simon dives to his right to pluck out the air.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 45 min + 5: Oyarzabal thinks he has won a corner; he has not. Uruguay have done very little since conceding. They look pretty beaten, as they have for much of this World Cup<\/a>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 45 min +1: Eight minutes of added time. Muslera is such an experienced player, it\u2019s sad to see him make a terrible mistake like that in what will almost certainly be his last match. I could have seen Uruguay<\/a> nicking a 1-0 win today based on early evidence. But this does not look like a team who will score twice in the next 45 minutes or so.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 45 min: That was so sad that even Spain\u2019s king, Felipe \u201cSilver Fox\u201d VI, looked guilty about it in the stands. To add injury to insult Ugarte is taken off injured, de la Cruz replaces him.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>GOAL! Uruguay 0-1 Spain (Alex Baena 41 min)<\/p>\n Ouch, not a good way to concede a goal. Baena turns nicely and unleashes a shot that is very close to Muslera, who pats the ball into his own goal. That was up there with Scotland for gifting your opponent a goal in a crucial match.<\/p>\n Alex Baena scores the opener for Spain. Photograph: Eloisa Sanchez\/ReutersFernando Muslera doesn\u2019t shower himself in glory. Photograph: Eloisa Sanchez\/ReutersOh, keeper. Photograph: Raquel Cunha\/Reuters Photograph: David Ramos\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.48 EDT<\/p>\n 41 min: Oyarzabal has the wind knocked out of him. He\u2019ll have to stand on the sidelines for a minute while he tries to locate it. He has a lot to say about that for a man with no wind.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 39 min: Is Cucurella on the wrong team? \u201cI like Spain, they\u2019re exciting, but I struggle to back any team with Cucurella in it. He\u2019d be a perfect fit in Bielsa\u2019s team, his shithousery, his whole being feels culturally Uruguayan,\u201d writes Chris Boys. Can we say \u201cshithousery\u201d in the Guardian? We can! Shithousery.<\/p>\n The universally popular Marc Cucurella heads the ball away from Agustin Canobbio. Photograph: Natacha Pisarenko\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.42 EDT<\/p>\n 37 min: Bentancur unleashes a clean strike that sails a few yards over. So not that clean then. Uruguay<\/a> have been better since the drinks break. Definitely in the top teams on the pitch.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 35 min: Oyarzabal almost gets his toe on a skimming Baena cross but Uruguay<\/a> survive. Lamine Yamal then attempts to get past the entire population of Uruguay, and almost succeeds before being stopped by a 62-year-old office worker from Salto.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 32 min: Canobbio dances away from Baena, who clatters him and we have a free-kick. Spain<\/a> clear after an Unai Simon flap, he\u2019s been a little unsteady today. \u201cSpain coach de le Fuente gives strong FBI director Walter Skinner from the X-Files vibes. But what odd couple skeptic\/believer pair does he need to keep an eye on in the Spain squad? Cucurella\/Rodri?\u201d asks Drew.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.34 EDT<\/p>\n 29 min: We\u2019re back with all parties hydrated. Nunez finds space on the wing and cuts inside. His cross is too close and Unai Simon claims it. That followed up an even clearer chance a few minutes earlier. Uruguay<\/a> are easily the best team (in the last three minutes)<\/p>\n Aymeric Laporte gets up close and personal with Darwin Nunez. Photograph: Fernando Llano\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.33 EDT<\/p>\n 25 min: Llorente gets into some space as Uruguay\u2019s defenders stare at Lamine Yamal \u2013 he\u2019s such a little scamp! \u2013 and his cross is almost picked up by Merino. Fernando Muslera shoots out to smother. And now we will have some drinks.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 23 min: Spain, obviously, are pinging it around magnificently but there have been a few sloppy passes that have nearly been intercepted by Uruguay<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 21 min: Some panic for Uruguay<\/a> after a wicked corner from Baena. Pau Cubarsi causes a few problems in the goalmouth but Bielsa\u2019s men clear.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 19 min: Pedri hands (not literally) the ball off to Lamine Yamal but his shot is blocked. Spain then stroke it out for a bit \u2013 not ideal for Uruguay<\/a> who need to create something at some point.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 16 min: Uruguay<\/a> have started to make a few promising forays into the Spanish half. Araujo twists and turns on the left as he knifes towards the area but Spain stop him. At the other end, a Lamine Yamal cross is deflected for a corner, which Uruguay get away.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 14 min: Pedri is down clutching his face after Bentancur clatters him. He\u2019s fine to carry on though. Some dental updates: \u201cIf Su\u00e1rez had played in the 1990 World Cup<\/a> the biting would have been (just about) age appropriate,\u201d writes emmling.<\/p>\n Pedri will survive. Photograph: Silvia Izquierdo\/APShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.22 EDT<\/p>\n 12 min: A swinging ball out to Lamine Yamal on the wing in plenty of space but he\u2019s strayed offside \u2013 he had plenty of time and room so not sure why he went early there.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 9 min: Corner for Spain. It beats the first Uruguay<\/a> defender at the near post but Bentancur clears.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 7 min: Oooh. A chance. A free-kick for Uruguay<\/a> and Unai Simon comes to claim it a mass of bodies but drops the ball. It skitters around the six-yard box before Spain clear.<\/p>\n Unai Simon drops the cross in the box but Spain escape. Photograph: Carl Recine\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.18 EDT<\/p>\n 5 min: Uruguay<\/a> make their first serious move into Spain\u2019s half but a long hoof is gathered easily by Unai Simon. That could count as a shot on target if you were being very generous.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n 3 min: Hmmm, not a good start by Uruguay<\/a>. Lamine Yamal picks up a poor backpass and Spain soon win a corner. It\u2019s clear but that was sloppy from Uruguay in a match they need to win.<\/p>\n Lamine Yamal nips in ahead of Uruguay’s Mathias Olivera. Photograph: Raquel Cunha\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.08 EDT<\/p>\n 1 min: A minute\u2019s silence for the victims of Venezuela\u2019s earthquake this week before kickoff. And then we\u2019re off. Spain are in white and Uruguay<\/a> in dark blue. Quite a horrible dark blue kit with sky blue blobs.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The national anthems. Uruguay<\/a> sing their anthem heartily. Spain stand with lips sealed as theirs plays, mainly because it has no words. Next up: a game of football.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The players are out. Uruguay<\/a> almost certainly need a win here to qualify for the next round. And if they go through as runners up, their reward would be a last-32 with \u2026 Argentina. Yikes.<\/p>\n Photograph: Raquel Cunha\/ReutersShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a020.00 EDT<\/p>\n Justin Kavanagh writes in about the obscure Fifa bylaw I mentioned earlier. \u201cActually Tom, that Fifa bylaw has been rewritten just before this tournament: Now, if future hosts also qualify as winners, they must agree to be coached by Bielsa for the next four years, while being drug-tested once-a-week for anti-depressants. Also, they will only be allowed visitation rights to their hard-won trophy at its permanent residency at the Oval Office, once a month.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Uruguay\u2019s Bad Omen-ometer: HIGH ALERT \u2013 Spain have not lost in 33 games and have never lost when Lamine Yamal has started.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Just a reminder if you see Marcelo Bielsa on the apps DO NOT swipe. This from Sid Lowe\u2019s preview of today\u2019s game<\/a>:<\/p>\n When Uruguay<\/a> were beaten 5-1 by the USA in November, he described himself as \u201ctoxic\u201d, admitting: \u201cThose who have a relationship with me come out of it worse. There are toxic people who only see errors, who demand, who correct, who are never satisfied with anything, who only like to talk about work, who go to eat and take a newspaper with them because they don\u2019t want to integrate with the rest. But do you know what that behaviour is based on? Fear. One doesn\u2019t enjoy winning; he fears losing much more.\u201d<\/p>\n Or maybe just agree to meet up for a drink and store it away for a fun story. Don\u2019t go on a second date though.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.38 EDT<\/p>\n Uruguay\u2019s build-up to this World Cup<\/a> was not good (apart, obviously, from the bit where they qualified) and they lost 5-1 to the US in one of their friendlies. It hasn\u2019t got much better at the tournament proper after two draws against solid but no world beating opponents. And now all they need to do is beat Spain. Yeah, that Spain.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Inside information on Spain: my partner* is Spanish so let\u2019s get her verdict:<\/p>\n Q: What do you think of Spain\u2019s campaign so far?<\/p>\n A: What do you mean by campaign?<\/p>\n Q: Their World Cup<\/a> so far, how is it going?<\/p>\n A: Oh great, yeah \u2013 we\u2019re going to win.<\/p>\n There you have it.<\/p>\n *Partner\u2019s permission to use this interview was sought before publication.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Senegal put the hurt on Iraq earlier today<\/a>, refusing to score a bad goal. It\u2019s well worth looking at the highlights on whichever Infantino-approved replay is available to you \u2013 the result may be enough to put Senegal through as one of the best third-placed teams. You can also read our match report and just imagine the goals \u2013 they may even be better that way:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Team news<\/p>\n A few changes for each team. For Spain, Marcos Llorente replaces Pedro Porro in defence, while Mikel Merino and Alex Baena are in Dani \u2060Olmo and Nico Williams. Marcelo Bielsa has Fernando Muslera in goal and Darwin Nunez leading the line.<\/p>\n Uruguay: Fernando Muslera; Sebastian \u200bCaceres, Guillermo \u200bVarela, Mathias Olivera; Manuel \u200bUgarte, Rodrigo Bentancur, Federico Valverde, Agustin Canobbio, \u200bMaxi Araujo, \u200cJuan Manuel \u200bSanabria; Darwin \u200bNunez. Subs: Rochet, Mele, Gimenez, Ronald Araujo, de la Cruz, de Arrascaeta, Pellistri, Martinez, Vina, Rodriguez, Aguirre, Vinas, Piquerez, Bueno, Zalazar.<\/p>\n Spain: Unai Simon; Marcos Llorente, Aymeric Laporte, Pau Cubarsi, Marc Cucurella; Mikel Merino, Alex Baena, Rodri, Pedri; Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal. Subs: Raya, Joan Garcia, Pubill, Grimaldo, Eric Garcia, Torres, Fabian, Gavi, Olmo, Pino, Porro, Williams, Zubimendi, Munoz, Iglesias.<\/p>\n Referee: Ismail Elfath (USA)<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.04 EDT<\/p>\n Fun fact, courtesy of Sid Lowe<\/a>: Uruguay have not won a World Cup<\/a> game without Luis Su\u00e1rez since 1990 (just to clarify, Su\u00e1rez did not play in the 1990 World Cup as he was three years old and he\u2019s not that good). Su\u00e1rez is not in the squad for this World Cup.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Are Spain the best team at the World Cup? No! Because the Fifa rankings say they\u2019re No 3 in the world, and those rankings are in no way flawed. They are, however, probably among the top two contenders, aside from France. And the French just gave everyone\u2019s favourite dark horse, Norway, one hell of a beating. How much we can read into that is debatable \u2013 Norway rested 10 players \u2013 but the French still won 4-1 and looked <\/a>very<\/a> crisp<\/a>. So Spain may want to put on a dominant display tonight to gather some momentum as they head to the knockouts. Or they could just do the PSG method and mess around until it really matters and then become unbeatable.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.48 EDT<\/p>\n Good news for Uruguay! Even if they do get thrashed by Spain tonight and end up going out, they\u2019re guaranteed a place in the 2030 World Cup<\/a> due to the fact that they are co-hosts. And by co-hosts, I mean they\u2019re hosting exactly one match. No one is saying that it\u2019s easier than ever to qualify for the World Cup but \u2026<\/p>\n Spain are also guaranteed a place at the 2030 World Cup due to the fact that they\u2019re another of the 38 tournament co-hosts. What happens if Spain or Uruguay<\/a> win this World Cup? Do they qualify for 2030 automatically twice \u2013 as winners and hosts? Interestingly, under an obscure Fifa bylaw, they do. They get to field two teams, but each player is only allowed to play with one leg and has to wear a hat made of bees to make things fairer. Should be interesting!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.28 EDT<\/p>\n Preamble<\/p>\n This World Cup<\/a> has suffered a little from its expanded format – there have been few heavyweight clashes but I guess two former champions battling for first place in the group counts. Here\u2019s what\u2019s at stake tonight in Guadalajara (and the rest of Group G):<\/p>\n Spain will guarantee qualification with a draw or win against Uruguay<\/a>.<\/p>\n Uruguay need to beat Spain<\/a> to absolutely guarantee qualification. A draw could be enough but it would be close.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a019.10 EDT<\/p>\n Tom will be here shortly. In the meantime, here\u2019s your initial briefing on this matchup, courtesy of Graham Ruthven\u2019s daily watch guide<\/a>:<\/p>\n What to watch for<\/p>\n Uruguay haven\u2019t played much like a Bielsa team at this World Cup<\/a> so far. The 1930 and 1950 winners have struggled for creativity and have been one-dimensional in the final third in draws against Cape Verde and Saudi Arabia. To make the knockout rounds, Uruguay must show more variety.<\/p>\n Spain bounced back from their underwhelming opener against Cape Verde to put four past Saudi Arabia. Lamine Yamal\u2019s return gave the European champions a much-needed direct threat, which opened up space and restored faith that Spain<\/a> will be as strong as was predicted before the start of the tournament.<\/p>\n Player to watch: Lamine Yamal, Spain \u2013 The 18-year-old is Spain\u2019s biggest difference-maker and the player who makes everything click for them in the final third. Without him, they simply don\u2019t have the necessary invention.<\/p>\n