Spain player slams De La Cruz after Uruguay World Cup game: “Unnecessary” | OneFootball

In the 48th minute of the second half, De La Cruz made a hard tackle on Williams

Spain’s 1-0 victory over Uruguay last Friday (26), in the third round of the World Cup, ended with an incident that caused major repercussions. Deep into second-half stoppage time, Flamengo midfielder Nicolás De La Cruz went in hard on Nico Williams. The Spanish forward felt pain, left the pitch with concern, and became a doubt for the rest of the tournament. The match was played in Guadalajara, Mexico, and confirmed the elimination of the Uruguayan national team.

SO, HOW DID THE INCIDENT HAPPEN?

The episode happened when the match was already nearing its end. With Uruguay behind on the scoreboard and practically eliminated from the World Cup, De La Cruz went in strongly in a challenge with Nico Williams. The Spanish forward came off worse in the collision, remained on the ground for a few moments, and needed medical attention.

Although he managed to leave the field, Williams showed a great deal of discomfort and became a concern for Spain’s coaching staff. Now, the player will be re-evaluated to find out whether he will be fit to play in the national team’s next matches in the tournament.

SO, WHAT HAPPENED TO URUGUAY’S SITUATION?

The 1-0 defeat to Spain ended Uruguay’s participation in the World Cup. Unable to get the result they needed to advance, the team bowed out of the competition in the group stage. Along with the Europeans, surprise package Cape Verde remains in the competition from Uruguay’s group.

On the other hand, Spain celebrated qualification for the next round, but is now closely monitoring Nico Williams’ physical condition. The forward is considered one of the team’s main attacking pieces, and his possible absence could represent a major problem for the rest of the tournament.

WHEN WILL DE LA CRUZ RETURN TO FLAMENGO?

With Uruguay eliminated, Nicolás De La Cruz has ended his commitment to the national team and will begin his rest period before returning to Flamengo. Like compatriots Arrascaeta and Guillermo Varela, the red-and-black No. 18 will have ten days off before reporting back to the club to continue the season, according to information from Mônica Alves of Coluna do Fla. The trio will return to Ninho do Urubu after the rest period determined by Flamengo’s football department.

WHAT WAS WILLIAMS’ FULL STATEMENT?

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.