Furious Bielsa: We Should Have Had Seven Points, Not Just Two

Uruguay's Argentine coach, Marcelo Bielsa, once again displayed his fiery temperament and disdain for the media after his team's 0-1 loss to Spain, which saw them eliminated from the 2026 World Cup.

Initially, he clashed with a pitch-side reporter, accusing them of delaying the start of an interview. Following that, he responded to questions with curt, one-word answers, often appearing agitated and unfocused. Later, at the press conference, a slightly calmer Bielsa stated that Uruguay deserved more from all three of their World Cup matches but accepted the criticism he would undoubtedly face.

“We deserved to earn seven points, but we only got two. We failed to convert the chances we created into goals and conceded too easily. We couldn't prevent opponents from scoring, which was also a critical flaw. These were avoidable goals. Journalists and Uruguayan football fans are right to blame me. I am responsible, and I must accept that,” Bielsa admitted.

Uruguay, two-time world champions (though their last title was 76 years ago), have failed to advance past the group stage for the second consecutive World Cup. This time, they depart with just two points from two draws, finishing third in their group. The 40-year-old goalkeeper Muslera was at fault for both of Cape Verde's goals in the 2-2 draw and looked unconvincing during Alex Baena's goal today. However, Bielsa claimed that the decision to substitute the veteran goalkeeper at halftime was made by the player himself. The Celeste coach also made the puzzling decision to substitute Real Madrid's Federico Valverde in the 60th minute.

“Muslera decided to come off himself. And I substituted Valverde because we needed more physical presence on the field,” the coach explained. When asked if his decision to rely on the experienced goalkeeper had backfired, he responded: “I cannot deny or dispute the assessment of Muslera's performance, but at the same time, I believe he is a goalkeeper coming off a magnificent year and is a player with exceptional personality and character. He is one of the leaders and an important figure in the dressing room.”