Spain wins its World Cup group, beating Uruguay 1-0 as Muslera’s error sends 2-time champion home

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — Spain defeated Uruguay 1-0 after another goalkeeping mistake by Fernando Muslera, advancing to the knockout stage of the World Cup and eliminating the South American powerhouse on Friday.

Uruguay, a two-time champion, will go home without any victories in its three Group H games. Spain, the European champion, won the group with seven points and will face the second-place team from Group J — either Austria or Algeria — on Thursday in Inglewood, California.

Álex Baena scored in the 42nd minute after Muslera couldn’t fully swat away his shot from inside the area. It was the third blunder of the tournament by the 40-year-old Muslera, who asked coach Marcelo Bielsa to substitute him at halftime. Sergio Rochet came in to start the second half.

“He is the one who decided to leave,” Bielsa said.

The veteran Argentine coach said he feels like Uruguay deserved better luck considering its performances, and should have earned seven points instead of two from its group matches. But he took full responsibility for the team's failure.

“No one wants to listen to explanations now,” Bielsa said. “The blame is on me, I’m the one responsible for the disappointing work that I did. I had a group of quality players.”

At 19th in the FIFA rankings, Uruguay is the highest-ranked team to be eliminated so far.

“Every match is different and you have to win every type of match,” Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said. “This was a game with maximum difficulty.”

De la Fuente said midfielder Yéremy Pino likely suffered a broken collarbone that would sideline him for the rest of the tournament. Pino, who entered the match in the 66th minute, stayed on until the end despite the injury because Spain had already made all five substitutions.

Cape Verde, which played Saudi Arabia to a 0-0 draw in the other group game on Friday, finished second in the group with three points, one more than both Uruguay and Saudi Arabia. Uruguay finished third but without enough points to be among the best eight third-place teams that will advance.

A few Uruguay players cried on the field after the final whistle. Many fans booed the team as it left.

The match was one of the most anticipated of the group stage, but it featured few significant scoring chances by either team.

“I'm very proud of all the work that we have done,” Baena said. “We competed very well.”

Uruguay players loudly advocated for a penalty in the final minutes after Federico Viñas went down inside the area.

There was some tension near the end. Uruguay’s Agustín Canobbio was sent off in stoppage time for a tackle on Spain defender Paul Cubarsi. His teammates had to escort him off the field, and after the final whistle he returned to try to talk to the referee.

Uruguay, the World Cup winner in 1930 and 1950, came into the final group match in turmoil after draws against Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde. Uruguayan media said there were reports of players not being happy with Bielsa.

Spain, seeking its second World Cup title, opened with a shocking 0-0 draw against Cape Verde but was coming off a 4-0 win over Saudi Arabia. La Roja haven’t made it past the round of 16 since winning their lone title in 2010.

Spain striker Lamine Yamal, who entered the tournament nursing a left hamstring injury, had a lackluster outing and again didn’t play the entire match, being replaced by Ferran Torres in the 76th minute. The 18-year-old Yamal was replaced at halftime against Saudi Arabia and came off the bench in the second half against Cape Verde.

Uruguay midfielder Manuel Ugarte had to replaced because of an apparent knee injury near the end of the first half. He was on the ground seeking medical assistance when Spain opened the scoring, and was eventually taken off the field on a stretcher.

King Felipe VI of Spain was among the crowd of 45,065 at Estadio Akron.

A moment of silence was observed before the match in memory of those who died when back-to-back earthquakes struck Venezuela late Wednesday.

Associated Press writer Maria Verza contributed to this report.

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

Spain's Pedri, top, and Uruguay's Sebastian Caceres vie for the ball during the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Spain in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Spain's Aymeric Laporte (14) battles for the ball with Uruguay's Darwin Nunez (9) during the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Spain in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Spain's Lamine Yamal (19) controls the ball against Uruguay's Mathias Olivera (16), Rodrigo Bentancur (6) and Manuel Ugarte (5) during the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Spain in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera (23) is beaten by a shot from Spain's Alex Baena (15) for the opining goal during the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Spain in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko )

Spain's Alex Baena, left, is congratulated after scoring his side's opening goal by Rodri during the World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Spain in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Pavel Dorofeyev is heading to the New York Rangers as part of a trade at the NHL draft on Friday night, as they hope the high-scoring winger helps supercharge their retooling effort.

The Rangers acquired Dorofeyev from Vegas for the Nos. 26 and 92 picks this year, plus a conditional first-rounder in 2028. The 25-year-old is coming off scoring 12 goals on the Golden Knights' run to the Stanley Cup Final.

On their way there, they defeated the Utah Mammoth, who also made a big subtraction by sending a winger to the Eastern Conference. JJ Peterka is going to the Boston Bruins for the No. 23 pick and Florida's top-10-protected '28 first-rounder.

Peterka is changing places for a second consecutive offseason following his move from Buffalo just over a year to the day ago. The 24-year-old from Germany now gets to play for the league's only German coach, Marco Sturm.

“I would like to thank JJ for his commitment to our organization,” Utah general manager Bill Armstrong said. “JJ is a great person and will be a dynamic player for Boston.”

Midway through the first round, the St. Louis Blues acquired forward Mason McTavish from Anaheim for the Nos. 15 and 29 picks, getting a player entering his prime at 23 who's signed through 2031 at a salary cap hit of $7 million.

The Mammoth flipped the 23rd pick to Detroit for 23-year-old restricted free agent goaltender Sebastian Cossa.

Getting Dorofeyev was New York GM Chris Drury 's second move of the day after sending forward Brett Berard to Montreal for defenseman William Trudeau, who has been in the minors and is still awaiting his NHL debut.

Also Friday, Buffalo got defenseman Olen Zellweger, who also needs a new contract, from Anaheim for the 45th pick and forward prospect Anton Wahlberg. Zellweger, who turns 23 in September, replenishes depth for the Sabres after they traded Bowen Byram to Chicago earlier in the week.

Chicago sent winger Andre Burakovsky to Ottawa for a 2027 sixth-round pick. Burakovsky joins the Senators more than three decades since his dad, Robert, played 23 games for them in the 1993-94 season.

The Blackhawks clear his $5.5 million salary cap hit off the books for next season, while the Senators get a 31-year-old winger who has twice won the Stanley Cup.

General manager Steve Staios said the Senators were happy to add a player of Burakovsky’s pedigree because he “adds skill and playmaking ability to our forward group.”

Staios was busy in the hours before adding Burakovsky, acquiring the rights to goaltender Samuel Ersson and re-signing another pending restricted free agent, defenseman Jordan Spence. Ottawa sent a 2027 fifth-rounder to rival Toronto for Ersson, whom the Maple Leafs got along with Emil Andrae in a cap space-clearing trade with Philadelphia for Joseph Woll and Simon Benoit.

Spence, 25, signed a four-year, $20 million contract. He was a big part of the team enduring injuries at the position and still making the playoffs, scoring a career-high seven goals and finishing with 31 points while skating an average of nearly 19 minutes over 73 games.

“Jordan was an excellent addition to our hockey club and proved to be a valuable asset on our blue line and stepped up when it counted last season,” Staios said. “We’re excited to have him as part of our core group.”

Colorado re-signed defensemen Brent Burns and Brett Kulak, fresh off winning the Presidents’ Trophy and losing in the conference final to Vegas.

Burns, 41, signed for next season, his 23rd in the league, at the veteran minimum of $850,000 and can make up to $3 million in incentives, according to a person familiar with the deal. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because financial terms were not disclosed.

Burns has skated in 1,007 consecutive regular-season games and is 58 away from passing Phil Kessel for the longest ironman streak in NHL history.

Kulak got a five-year contract from the Avalanche worth a reported $22.5 million. President of hockey operations and franchise great Joe Sakic is reshaping the roster after reclaiming GM duties when Chris MacFarland left for Nashville.

The Islanders re-signed defenseman Tony DeAngelo to a two-year contract worth $9 million. He will count $4.5 million against the salary cap through the 2027-28 season.

DeAngelo, 30, is returning to the Islanders for a second full season after joining them upon returning to the NHL from a stint in the Russia-based KHL in January 2025.

“Tony has been great since he’s been here," GM Mathieu Darche said on a video call with reporters after the draft. “It’s tough to find puck-moving defensemen, never mind a right-shot puck-moving defenseman, so Tony’s a big part of our team. We’re excited to have him back.”

Los Angeles re-signed defenseman Brandt Clarke for $37 million over the next five years.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHL

FILE - Los Angeles Kings' Brandt Clarke plays against the Columbus Blue Jackets during an NHL hockey game, March 9, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete, File)

FILE - Colorado Avalanche's Brent Burns (84) skates during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the St. Louis Blues on April 7, 2026, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Joe Puetz, File)

FILE - Utah Mammoth right wing JJ Peterka challenges for the puck during a hockey game, March 16, 2026, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File)

FILE - Chicago Blackhawks left wing Andre Burakovsky controls the puck during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Jan. 9, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley, File)

FILE - Philadelphia Flyers goaltender Samuel Ersson puts his glove out for a save during an NHL hockey game against the Montréal Canadiens, April 14, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton, File)

FILE - New York Islanders defenseman Tony DeAngelo (77) looks on during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Feb. 2, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass, File)