Uruguay went down to 10 men and lost 1-0 to Spain as it crashed out of Group H.

La Celeste took just two points from its three games in North America, and is now on a seven-match winless run.

The enigmatic and fiery Bielsa took charge of Uruguay in 2023, and was tasked with overseeing a rebuild as the likes of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani bowed out.

However, his tenure now looks set to come to an end in crisis, and the 70-year-old pinned the blame on himself.

"I am responsible for this disappointment," Bielsa, who has failed to progress from the group stage in two of his three FIFA World Cup campaigns – with Argentina in 2002 and Uruguay in 2026 – said.

Bielsa's only successful group-stage campaign came with Chile in 2010.

"Obviously, I don't need to define this performance. If you ask me how my time [with the national team] will be remembered, it is a tenure that left nothing behind.

"I leave nothing to Uruguayan football, because any contribution I might make to a country where I have worked for three years fails to take root if results aren't achieved."

Like Suarez and Cavani, veteran goalkeeper Fernando Muslera also retired, although he came back at Bielsa's request prior to the FIFA World Cup.

Yet Muslera endured a tournament to forget, and it was his howler that resulted in Alex Baena's winner for Spain at Estadio Guadalajara.

"Muslera decided to come off at half-time," Bielsa explained. "The decision I took was not to undermine Muslera's confidence, but rather to maintain it."

Spain was not at its best, but the European champion topped Group H.

However, Luis de la Fuente has been rocked by potential injury setbacks for wingers Yeremy Pino and Nico Williams, who both came on as second-half substitutes.

While Williams's issue is viewed as minor, Pino is likely to miss the rest of the tournament.

"[Williams] felt discomfort," De la Fuente said. "It could be a strain, or it might be fatigue. But the worst thing is the huge pain we feel with Yeremy, who could miss the rest of the [FIFA] World Cup."

Asked about Bielsa, De la Fuente said: "I still admire Bielsa. Players play the games. We didn't feel very comfortable in the game, but that's what the referee is there for. It was a game played at the limit, extremely tough."