On July 11th, according to RMC, following Uruguay’s 0-1 loss to Colombia, Uruguay’s head coach Bielza believed that his substitutes did not meet the expected standards.
The Colombian defender Munoz was sent off with a red card for elbowing Ugarte. Despite having an extra player on the field, Uruguay failed to score and ultimately watched as ten-man Colombia advanced to the final. Post-match, Uruguay’s head coach Bielza attributed the defeat to the poor form of his substitutes.
Bielza: “Given my understanding of the team, we clearly had the capability to win this match, but our substitutes didn’t reach the level they should have.”
“I’m not making excuses, but there are certain shortcomings I must point out. Nandez, Araujo, Olivera, Viña, Bentancur… The players I’ve named did not perform up to their expected standards.”
Worth noting is that Nandez was suspended during the match against Colombia, Araujo was sidelined due to injury, and Olivera, Viña, and Bentancur were all affected by physical discomfort, impacting their performance in this game.