World Cup 2026: Spain's Nico Williams criticises tackle that left him injured

Nico Williams has criticised Uruguay's Nicolas de la Cruz for a "completely unnecessary" tackle that injured the Spain winger, who is expected to miss at least his nation's World Cup last-32 fixture.

Williams sustained a muscle injury following the challenge in a 1-0 win for Spain that sent Uruguay home, calling it "one of the worst days of my life".

De la Cruz was booked for the tackle in added time, before team-mate Agustin Canobbio was shown a straight red card for diving in on Pau Cubarsi.

Williams, 23, has had an injury-disrupted season with Athletic Club in Bilbao and only made brief appearances as a substitute in Spain's three group games.

"Today is one of the worst days of my life. I am injured again after a very difficult year," he posted on social media.

"Yesterday, I suffered a new injury following an incident where a fellow professional acted out of frustration, unhappiness, and sadness over the situation he was going through.

"In my opinion, it was a play that could have been avoided, as it was completely unnecessary. But this won't stop me."

The Spanish Football Federation said Williams had suffered a "moderate" injury and still had a chance to return later in the tournament.

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