Darwin Nunez has said an emotional sorry to "all the Uruguayan people" after La Celeste crashed out of the World Cup on Friday night.
Giorgian de Arrascaeta scored twice as Uruguay defeated Ghana in a must-win game, but South Korea's last-gasp victory over Portugal saw them reach the last 16 at Nunez and Co.'s expense. Luis Suarez was left in tears as Uruguay were eliminated by the finest of margins, as they had an identical points and goal difference tally to South Korea but scored fewer goals in the group stage.
Ahead of the tournament, many regarded the South American giants, who are one of the most successful teams in World Cup history, as dark horses to go all the way in Qatar. With the likes of Nunez, Suarez and Edinson Cavani in attack and Federico Valverde in midfield, La Celeste boast plenty of individual quality.
However, this did not translate to strong performances in the Middle East, with Uruguay held to a goalless draw by South Korea and defeated 2-0 by Portugal prior to their futile victory over Ghana. Nunez was tipped as one of the players to lead the charge but failed to find the back of the net despite starting all three group-stage games.
After coming to terms with Uruguay's painful exit, the 23-year-old took to Twitter on Saturday afternoon to write: "We didn't deserve this ending but the dream ended. Sorry to all the Uruguayan people."
Uruguay's early elimination from the World Cup comes after a mixed start to Nunez's Anfield career following his big-money summer move from Benfica for a fee which could rise to a Liverpool-record £85million. He has scored nine goals in 18 appearances in all competitions and his incisive movement has been praised by many, but his decision-making has come in for criticism.
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Meanwhile, Nunez's message of apology to Uruguay fans came after manager Diego Alonso said he and his players had a "bad taste in our mouths". He said: "The team did everything they had to do to be in the next round; football, mood, the game, the goals, the chances created, even the ones they took away from us. But hey, it's football. We go home with a bad taste in our mouths."
Perhaps unsurprisingly after Uruguay failed to make it out of the group stage, there are already rumblings that Alonso may not be in the hot seat for much longer. Marcelo Bielsa is said to be in the frame to replace him. The popular Argentine has been out of work since he was sacked by Leeds in February during a poor Premier League season.
