Spain lose Williams and Pino to injury before World Cup knockout rounds
European champions Spain face a selection headache in attack after wingers Nico Williams and Yeremy Pino suffered injuries in the final group-stage win over Uruguay.
Injury blows in Guadalajara
Spain's 1-0 win over Uruguay in Zapopan secured top spot in Group H, but two first-half-wing substitutions turned the night sour. Nico Williams came on for Lamine Yamal in the 76th minute and later felt groin discomfort, while Yeremy Pino introduced for goalscorer Alex Baena, fell awkwardly on his left shoulder after a robust challenge. Both players could now miss the knockout phase.
(Williams had) a slight discomfort. It might be a strain, or maybe just fatigue.
The worst part is the tremendous pain we feel over what's happening with Yeremy -- he might miss the (rest of the) World Cup.
Pino a major doubt
Pino managed to finish the match despite being in obvious pain, a display head coach Luis de la Fuente described as heroic. Medical checks scheduled for Saturday are expected to confirm a suspected broken collarbone, which would rule the 23-year-old out of the tournament. "He did something heroic. He's in a lot of pain. He'll undergo medical tests on Saturday," de la Fuente told reporters.
Unfortunately, it could be a collarbone injury. We will see.
Williams reaction
Williams took to social media with a raw post, saying it was one of the worst days of his life after an injury-hit season. He blamed a foul by Uruguay's Nicolas de la Cruz for the setback.
Today is one of the worst days of my life. I have been injured again after a very difficult year. My opponent inflicted an injury from frustration, dissatisfaction and sadness that could have been avoided, as it was completely unnecessary. But even that will not stop me.
He insisted his World Cup story was not over, hoping to return as soon as possible.
Depleted wide options
Spain arrived at the tournament already managing injuries: Lamine Yamal is still regaining sharpness after a hamstring problem, while Victor Muñoz – who joined Liverpool from Osasuna – has yet to feature because of a leg muscle issue. That leaves de la Fuente scouring for natural width. In the goalless draw with Cape Verde he used Gavi on the left flank, an experiment that delivered little fluency.
Tactical alternatives now include shifting Mikel Oyarzabal to the left, with Ferran Torres or Borja Iglesias starting as a central striker and Yamal on the right. Medical updates on both Williams and Pino are due over the weekend.
