Bielsa on the World Cup defeat: ‘What did it leave Uruguayan football? Nothing.’

Coach Marcelo Bielsa appeared devastated after Uruguay’s World Cup campaign ended in disappointment on Friday, saying he was entirely responsible for the team’s elimination and blaming himself for leaving nothing good behind for Uruguayan football during his time with the national team.

Uruguay lost 1-0 to Spain, leaving the tournament winless. They were coming off draws against Saudi Arabia and Cape Verde. It was newcomer Cape Verde that advanced from Group H in second place behind Spain.

Bielsa, the Argentine coach whose contract with the Uruguayan soccer federation was valid until the World Cup, has said in the past that his work with the national team would end after the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada. His voice had a parting tone on Friday.

“What do I leave for Uruguayan football?” said. “Nothing, because any contribution that a coach can make to a country’s football after three years of work never materializes if results are not achieved. A fourth place in the qualifying round does not count for much, and a third place in the Copa América does not count for much either. And obviously there is no need to explain it after what happened now.

“A mandate that left nothing behind.”

The veteran coach took full responsibility for the team’s World Cup campaign and said he should have been able to make the team do more considering the quality of his players. But he did consider that Uruguay should have had better luck considering their performances.

“I think we deserved to win seven points in the three games, but we leave with only two points,” he said.

Uruguay, ranked 19th in the FIFA rankings, is the highest-ranked team to be eliminated so far.

It was the second time Bielsa coached a team that did not advance past the group stage of the World Cup, following Argentina’s debacle in the 2002 tournament in South Korea and Japan. He helped Chile reach the round of 16 of the tournament in South Africa in 2010 for their best World Cup result.

Information from The Associated Press.