Read for 2 minutesJune 27, 2026 06:47 PM IST
After Spain’s clinical 1-0 win over Uruguay was overshadowed by injury concerns, the reigning European champions now anxiously await updates on the fitness of Jeremy Pino and Nico Williams. Luis de la Fuente’s side topped the Group H table at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and will now face the Group J runners-up in the round of 32 on July 2, thanks to a goal from Alex Baena. However, they could be without two key attackers for that encounter.
Williams had already arrived at the tournament with a hamstring problem that had forced him to miss Athletic Bilbao’s last three La Liga matches. Accordingly, De la Fuente has only used him as an impact substitute, but the Spanish coach is sweating on a new injury he picked up on Friday. Williams was unsettled in the 76th minute when fellow winger Lamine Yamal was replaced.
Giving an update on the injury, de la Fuente said: “Nico was feeling a little uncomfortable. It could be a strain or just fatigue. We’ll have to wait until tomorrow to know for sure.”
The biggest concern for the 2010 champions, however, will be Jeremy Pino’s shoulder injury. Pino, introduced in the 66th minute to replace goalscorer Bayana, injured himself with an awkward landing late in the game. With Spain left with no options, he was able to complete the full 90 minutes, but the pain of the Crystal Palace attacker was palpable.
De la Fuente revealed after the game that Pino’s streak could be over. “I’m really sorry about that, Jeremy’s injury is really worrying for me. It looks bad and there’s a good chance he’ll miss the rest of the tournament. It could be a collar bone injury. We’ll see, he’ll have tests tomorrow. He’s suffering a lot. He tried so hard to last until the end of her game.” he said