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Uruguay goalkeeper Fernando Muslera pulled at halftime after his mistake leads to Spain goal

GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — Uruguay coach Marcelo Bielsa made an unusual goalkeeping change at halftime against Spain in the on Friday after veteran Fernando Muslera made a mistake that led to a Spain goal.

Sergio Rochet replaced Muslera to start the second half with Uruguay trailing 1-0 and on the verge of elimination.

Muslera, who also had blunders in the team’s and its opening 1-1 draw against Saudi Arabia, couldn’t swat away from inside the area in the 42nd minute.

Muslera appeared to be fooled by the bounce and couldn’t get to the ball with his hands firm enough to fully deflect the shot away from the net.

The 40-year-old Muslera, who had retired from international competition a few years ago, made it back to the squad earlier this year under Bielsa, who was criticized by many Uruguay fans for his decision.

In Sunday’s matchup with Cape Verde, Muslera was caught out of position after a bad pass by Mathias Olivera, leading to a tying empty-net goal. And against Saudi Arabia, he failed to secure the ball after a header, and the Saudis scored on the rebound.

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