Alex Baena settled it in the forty second minute and Spain did what this Spain does, which is win a tight one and lock the door behind them. They finished Group H with a perfect defensive record, zero goals against across the whole stage, the kind of stat that makes the rest of the bracket nervous.

Uruguay are eliminated, beaten by a single goal and by ninety minutes spent throwing themselves at a defense that simply does not crack. There is no shame in losing to the most controlled team in the tournament, but there is no progress either.

Spain are not dazzling anyone yet, and that is precisely the threat. A team that scores just enough and concedes nothing is the team you do not want to draw, and everyone left in the bracket just noticed.