Spain through, but at what cost?

The win is done. The worry is just starting.

According to ESPN FC, De la Fuente has raised injury concerns over both Nico Williams and Yéremy Pino following the Uruguay match — with Pino's situation potentially the more serious of the two. ESPN FC reports that Pino could miss the remainder of the tournament entirely, though medical confirmation is still needed and the full picture on Williams's fitness is not yet clear.

For a Spain side that has built so much of its attacking identity around wide runners who can stretch teams and carry the ball at pace, that is not a small problem.

What Spain lose if Williams and Pino are out

Nico Williams is not just a winger in De la Fuente's system — he is the winger. His ability to run in behind, to carry the ball at defenders in tight spaces, and to create from nothing on the left has been central to how Spain play at their best. Lose him, and you lose the player opponents most need to account for.

Pino offers something similar on the opposite flank — direct, quick, capable of the unexpected. Spain have depth in midfield, real quality in their forwards, and Lamine Yamal doing things that still make you look twice. But the wide positions are where their transition game lives, and right now both of those positions are in doubt.

De la Fuente did not look like a man who had just won a World Cup group.

What comes next

Spain will need further medical assessments before the picture clears — and the timeline between the group stage and the round of 16 is tight. If Pino is ruled out as ESPN FC suggests is possible, De la Fuente will need to find a solution quickly. If Williams is also unavailable, the conversation changes entirely.

They are through. They are group winners. But the knockout stages have a way of finding the cracks in even the best squads — and right now, Spain have a crack worth watching.