Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa admitted his side have been left disappointed after collecting just two points from their opening two World Cup matches, insisting they deserved victories against both Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde.
La Celeste opened their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia before being held to another 2-2 stalemate by World Cup debutants Cape Verde on Sunday.
“We have two draws from two matches that we believed we could and should have won,” Bielsa said after the match.
The veteran Argentine coach pointed to costly defensive lapses as the main reason Uruguay failed to secure maximum points. Cape Verde’s opening goal came from a long-range free-kick that slipped through Uruguay’s defensive wall, while their second resulted from a defensive mix-up at the back.
Bielsa accepted responsibility for those errors, saying organisational mistakes ultimately fall on the head coach.
“There is no magical solution for these situations,” he said. “They are moments that happen in football, but we paid a very high price for the goals we conceded.”
Uruguay now sit level on two points with Cape Verde in Group H, trailing leaders Spain, who strengthened their position with a convincing 4-0 victory over Saudi Arabia.
With qualification to the Round of 32 hanging in the balance, Uruguay face a daunting final group match against Spain in Guadalajara. Bielsa described the encounter as a “gargantuan challenge” but stressed that his players will approach the contest with maximum motivation.
“Spain have an outstanding squad and we need to improve our performance against such a strong opponent,” he said. “But there is no doubt we will go into that match fully motivated and determined to fight for qualification.”
