World Cup star asks to be hooked at half-time after nightmare blunder

Fernando Muslera asked to be substituted at half-time after his costly mistake helped send Uruguay crashing out of the World Cup.The veteran goalkeeper endured a nightmare opening 45 minutes against Spain, gifting the European side the only goal of the game before requesting to be withdrawn.Muslera, 40, failed to deal with a tame effort from Alex Baena, allowing the ball to squirm over the line despite getting a hand to the shot.The error handed Spain a 1-0 lead and ultimately proved decisive as Uruguay exited the tournament as the highest-ranked nation to be eliminated. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Many viewers initially believed Marcelo Bielsa had ruthlessly hooked his experienced goalkeeper at the interval when Sergio Rochet emerged for the second half.But the Uruguay manager later revealed the decision had come from Muslera himself.Fernando Muslera asked me to be subbed off at half time, Bielsa said.The former Galatasaray star's misery was compounded by criticism from ex-England goalkeeper Rob Green, who knows all too well the scrutiny that follows a World Cup blunder.Green, whose mistake against the United States overshadowed England's opening match at the 2010 World Cup, believes Bielsa should also shoulder some responsibility.Incredible move, he told Fox Sports.You just wonder whether it was all too much.LATEST SPORTS NEWS:'England star needs dropping for Panama World Cup match'Reece James out for England's next couple of games with hamstring injuryPanama players forced to be separated in training ahead of England match at World CupBielsa is as much at fault as Muslera in all of this.Uruguay's miserable evening did not end there.Real Madrid midfielder Federico Valverde was substituted after just 56 minutes, while Agustin Canobbio was shown a red card late on for lashing out at Spain defender Pau Cubarsi.The defeat allowed surprise package Cape Verde to finish second in the group and book their place in the knockout stages at Uruguay's expense, with Argentina next up.Muslera had started all three of Uruguay's group matches, conceding once in a 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia before shipping two goals against Cape Verde.The experienced shot-stopper has amassed 136 caps since making his international debut in 2009, placing him third on Uruguay's all-time appearance list behind Diego Godin and Luis Suarez.After beginning his career with Montevideo Wanderers, Muslera joined Lazio in 2007 before moving to Galatasaray four years later.He went on to become a club legend in Istanbul, making 551 appearances and winning numerous honours during a glittering spell in Turkey.Bielsa, meanwhile, has built a reputation for making difficult decisions throughout his managerial career.The Argentine had already demonstrated his ruthless streak earlier in the tournament by replacing Darwin Nunez at half-time during Uruguay's opening game against Saudi Arabia after the striker struggled to make an impact. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter