Goalkeeper Fernando Muslera became the focus of criticism after a serious mistake in the Uruguay 0-1 defeat to Spain in the last match of Group H of the 2026 World Cup.
In the 42nd minute at Guadalajara Stadium (Mexico), the 40-year-old goalkeeper could not catch Alex Baena's low shot that was not too dangerous, letting the ball slowly roll over the goal line and help Spain open the score.
Coach Marcelo Bielsa clearly expressed dissatisfaction with his student's handling. Right at the beginning of the second half, he decided to take Muslera off the field and give Sergio Rochet a chance.
This is not the first time Muslera has made a mistake at the 2026 World Cup. In the opening match against Saudi Arabia, he pushed the ball out after a header save, creating conditions for the opponent to score. In the match against Cabo Verde, this veteran goalkeeper continued to handle poorly in the opening free kick situation, before rushing up unreasonably leading to the second goal conceded.
According to Sofascore, Muslera is the only goalkeeper in World Cup history to make more than 5 direct mistakes leading to goals conceded. Although for many years he was Uruguay's number one choice at World Cups, this veteran goalkeeper still could not end his series of mistakes in the world's biggest arena.
Muslera's consecutive mistakes are one of the reasons why Uruguay stopped early at the 2026 World Cup with only 2 points after the group stage.
