{"id":46815,"date":"2026-06-27T08:47:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T08:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/46815\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T08:47:14","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T08:47:14","slug":"barca-world-cup-spotlight-pau-cubarsi-and-pedri-shine-for-spain-in-slender-uruguay-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/46815\/","title":{"rendered":"Barca World Cup Spotlight: Pau Cubarsi and Pedri shine for Spain in slender Uruguay win"},"content":{"rendered":"

Barcelona\u2019s Spain contingent were in action yet again at the 2026 FIFA World Cup last night as they faced Uruguay in a potential group decider.<\/p>\n

La Roja would have wanted to win and finish first at all costs to avoid facing Argentina in the round of 32, and they did just that thanks to a solitary goal from Alex Baena.<\/p>\n

It was a game in which not much football was generated, with Uruguay looking to make the match more physical than tactical, but it still had its moments.<\/p>\n

Before that game, though, France took on Norway in yet another promising clash on paper, and Ousmane Dembele and co. put four past a second-string outfit.<\/p>\n

Jules Kounde featured in that match from a Barcelona perspective, and he continued his good form at the World Cup with yet another solid display.<\/p>\n

Egypt also played out a tightly contested 1-1 draw against Iran, and Bar\u00e7a Atletic starlet Hamza Abdelkarim got a few minutes off the bench.<\/p>\n

Barcelona had one of their busiest World Cup days so far, with seven players involved across Spain, France and Egypt.<\/p>\n

Here is how they fared.<\/p>\n

Jules Kounde vs Norway<\/p>\n

\"\"Kounde was decent at best against France. (Photo by Mattia Ozbot\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Kounde started for France in their 4-1 win over Norway, a match dominated by Ousmane Dembele\u2019s first-half hat-trick.<\/p>\n

Les Bleus finished with 57 percent possession, 18 shots, nine on target and 557 passes.<\/p>\n

For Kounde, this was not a headline performance, but it was a useful one. France\u2019s attack did the damage early, which changed the nature of his night.<\/p>\n

Once they were ahead, his job became about concentration, defensive spacing and avoiding unnecessary risk.<\/p>\n

Kounde needs this World Cup to help him rebuild confidence and sharpness. He remains one of Barcelona\u2019s most valuable defenders, and he has started really well.<\/p>\n

The Norway goal and penalty chance showed France were not perfect defensively, but none of it can be put on the Bar\u00e7a man.<\/p>\n

Pedri vs Uruguay<\/p>\n

\"Pedri,Pedri was once again the engine. (Photo by David Ramos\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Spain beat Uruguay 1-0 to top Group H, finishing with 67 percent possession and 553 accurate passes, while limiting Marcelo Bielsa\u2019s side to just one shot on target.<\/p>\n

Alex Baena scored the only goal in the 42nd minute after a move that began with Lamine Yamal on the right, while Uruguay finished with 10 men after Agustin Canobbio\u2019s stoppage-time red card.<\/p>\n

Pedri started for Spain in a game that demanded patience more than sparkle.<\/p>\n

Uruguay made the match physical, narrow and awkward, which meant the Barcelona midfielder had to spend much of his time helping Spain keep their structure.<\/p>\n

This was not Pedri at his most magical, but it was still important<\/a>. Spain\u2019s possession did not always flow through Pedri in the most dangerous zones.<\/p>\n

The Canary Island midfielder was tackled repeatedly on the night, and it was very sensible of Luis de la Fuente to take him off at around the hour mark.<\/p>\n

Pau Cubarsi vs Uruguay<\/p>\n

Pau Cubarsi was one of Spain\u2019s quiet standouts.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"PauCubarsi put on a strong performance. (Photo by Luke Hales\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Uruguay tried to make the game uncomfortable, but Spain\u2019s centre-backs kept the match from turning chaotic.<\/p>\n

Cubarsi\u2019s calmness on the ball again stood out, especially in a match in which one bad pass could have invited pressure.<\/p>\n

He also had chances to score, heading wide from a Baena corner in the first half and missing from close range after another cross.<\/p>\n

Cubarsi is playing like someone Spain already trust in knockout-level games. For Barcelona, that is hugely encouraging.<\/p>\n

He is not just being protected as a young player; he is being used as a serious part of a team trying to win the tournament.<\/p>\n

Lamine Yamal vs Uruguay<\/p>\n

Lamine Yamal started again, and Uruguay clearly treated him as one of Spain\u2019s main dangers.<\/p>\n

\"\"Lamine Yamal looked exhausted. (Photo by David Ramos\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Uruguay began aggressively and worked hard to deny him space on the right, with Guillermo Varela and the rest of the defence staying tight to him.<\/p>\n

That is the new reality for Lamine. At 18, he is already being double and sometimes even triple-marked at the World Cup.<\/p>\n

He still had an important involvement in the winning goal. The slight disappointment is that he did not explode into the game the way Bar\u00e7a fans know he can.<\/p>\n

When he was taken off, he looked completely exhausted, and he still does not seem to have 100 percent match sharpness.<\/p>\n

Ferran Torres vs Uruguay<\/p>\n

Ferran Torres came into the match with something to prove, and his biggest moment arrived late.<\/p>\n

He nearly sealed the win for Spain in the 86th minute, but his right-footed effort from inside the area hit the crossbar.<\/p>\n

That moment summed up his tournament so far. He continues to find good positions, and that matters, but the final action still needs to be cleaner.<\/p>\n

A goal there would have changed the tone of his night completely.<\/p>\n

Dani Olmo vs Uruguay<\/p>\n

\"DaniDani Olmo was a second-half substitute vs Uruguay. (Photo by David Ramos\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Dani Olmo started on the bench but came on in the second half as Spain looked to keep control and add more quality between the lines.<\/p>\n

His best chance came after a cross from Lamine in the 63rd minute, but he could not convert from the middle of the box.<\/p>\n

That was a frustrating moment because it was exactly the kind of action Olmo usually reads well.<\/p>\n

He finds pockets, arrives at the right time and gives Spain a different type of final-third presence. This time, the finish was missing.<\/p>\n

Still, once he came on, he showed Luis de la Fuente exactly why he made a mistake by not starting him.<\/p>\n

Olmo is the glue in La Roja\u2019s midfield and should be a fixture in the starting line-up once the knockouts begin.<\/p>\n

Hamza Abdelkarim vs Iran<\/p>\n

\"HamzaSEATTLE, WASHINGTON \u2013 JUNE 15: Hamza Mohamed Abdelkarim of Egypt in action during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group G match between Belgium and Egypt at Seattle Stadium on June 15, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Fran Santiago\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Hamza Abdelkarim\u2019s story is very different from the others, but it may be one of the most interesting from a Barcelona development angle.<\/p>\n

For an 18-year-old Barcelona Under-19 forward, simply being involved in this kind of match at this stage is a major experience.<\/p>\n

There was also a remarkable late moment involving him.<\/p>\n

Iran thought they had scored a stoppage-time winner, but the goal was ruled out for offside after VAR, with the offside line judged against Hamza as the second-last opponent because Egypt\u2019s goalkeeper had left his goal.<\/p>\n

For a young attacker, being alert in that kind of defensive scramble says something about concentration and match awareness.<\/p>\n

Overall, this was a strong Barcelona day without being perfect. The standout was probably Cubarsi, simply because of how natural he looks at this level, but the others had their moments too.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Barcelona\u2019s Spain contingent were in action yet again at the 2026 FIFA World Cup last night as they…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":46816,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[92,222,2265,223,325,934,556,9303,548,2178,664,17,369],"class_list":["post-46815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-spain","tag-barcelona","tag-barcelona-news","tag-egypt","tag-fc-barcelona","tag-featured","tag-ferran-torres","tag-france","tag-hamza-abdelkarim","tag-jules-kounde","tag-pau-cubarsi","tag-pedri","tag-spain","tag-world-cup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46815\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46816"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/spain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}