Arrascaeta, Piquerez and Emi Martínez end the World Cup without taking the field
Flamengo and Palmeiras gave up a number of players to Uruguay for the 2026 World Cup, but coach Marcelo Bielsa did not give three of them a chance: Giorgian de Arrascaeta, Emiliano Martínez and Joaquín Piquerez. The South American team lost to Spain this Friday (26) and said goodbye to the competition with several athletes without minutes.
In addition to the representatives of the red and white clubs, six others did not enter the field: Facundo Pellistri, José Giménez, Rodrigo Zalazar, Ronald Araújo, Santiago Bueno and Santiago Mele. Some, because they are not in the best physical condition, others, due to technical choice.
In the case of Arrascaeta, the midfielder and Flamengo idol suffered a calf injury in the preparation for the World Cup and only showed playing conditions precisely at the end of the group stage, but Bielsa chose not to include him, even in 'desperation'. Ronald Araújo had the same problem and his participation was also limited.
Interestingly, the Barcelona defender, who has already played 27 games for his national team, also did not have a single minute in the 2022 edition, in Qatar, due to another injury. In that tournament, Uruguay also fell in the group stage, but scored four points, compared to just two in 2026.
Piquerez and Martínez remained on the bench in all matches at the coach's option. Palmeiras' left-back lost his starting spot to Juan Sanabria, while the midfielder was one of the last options in the central region, normally made up of Manuel Ugarte, Rodrigo Bentancur and Federico Valverde. The last two were substituted against Spain, but he was not chosen to come on.
Flamengo also had right-back Guillermo Varela, who was a starter throughout Bielsa's campaign, and Nicolás de la Cruz, who started as a substitute, but was always called upon by the coach. They were not involved in any of the three goals scored by Uruguay in the tournament.
The other two Brasileirão representatives on the team were Sergio Rochet, from Internacional, and Agustín Canobbio, from Fluminense. The striker was part of the starting 11 in the last two games and received a red card in the final moments of the duel with Spain. The goalkeeper barely missed the competition, coming on in the second half against the Europeans after Fernando Muslera made another mistake.
With the defeat, Uruguay falls for the second consecutive time in the group stage of the World Cup, even with the eight best third-placed teams qualifying this time. In place of the two-time world champion team, debutant Cape Verde advanced, securing second place in Group H with three draws and facing Argentina in the second phase.
Uruguay players who did not play in the 2026 World Cup:
- Emiliano Martínez
- Facundo Pellistri
- Giorgian De Arrascaeta
- Joaquín Piquerez
- José María Giménez
- Rodrigo Zalazar
- Ronald Araujo
- Santiago Bueno
- Santiago Mele
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Source: CNN