Spain have suffered a major injury blow ahead of their Round of 32 World Cup clash against Cape Verde with Yeremy Pino ruled out of the tournament.
The Crystal Palace forward came on just after the hour mark in their 1-0 win over Uruguay and appeared to have fallen on his shoulder. Now, Spain have confirmed that Pino will play no further part in the tournament.
“It looks like Yeremy may have broken his collarbone,” Luis de la Fuente said after the game.
“Tomorrow they are going to do some tests and we will see how far the injury is.
“The man is suffering a lot and the effort he has made is tremendous, possibly with a broken collarbone to hold on until the end of the match… It has been heroic and I am very grateful, like all his team-mates.”
Despite being on the end of several poor challenges from Uruguay, Spain held on to seal a narrow 1-0 win and advance as group winners.
Alex Baena’s first half strike was enough to seal a second straight win, as they recovered from their first round draw against Cape Verde.
However, they suffered another injury blow to Nico Williams, who will also miss their Round of 32 clash although he is expected to return after that.
“We were pushed to the limit,” De la Fuente added.
“The players showed great resilience and commitment in a very difficult match.
“Our main objective is to move the ball quicker and play with greater confidence. Defensively we have been very strong.
“I have total confidence in this group. It is a team that wants to keep growing. We are on the right path, but every match from now on will be even more difficult,” he concluded.
Spain will now face Austria in the Round of 32 and could go up against Portugal in the Round of 16.
Olakitan is a young writer with a strong passion for sports, having gained experience with IndyPress and Nimelssa Press. His enthusiasm for sports inspired him to cover events both within his school and beyond. With a deep understanding of the game and a refined skillset, he brings sports coverage to a broad, global audience in a way that’s engaging and accessible.
