Spain secured a 1-0 victory over Uruguay on Friday to finish top of Group H and qualify for the knockout stage of the World Cup, with Alex Baena scoring the only goal of the match to eliminate Marcelo Bielsa's side.Baena found the net in the 42nd minute, capitalising on a goalkeeping error by Fernando Muslera to hand Spain all three points. The result saw Spain finish the group stage with seven points from two wins and a draw, while Cape Verde claimed the second knockout berth. Uruguay exited the tournament with two points, level with bottom-placed Saudi Arabia.Spain coach Luis de la Fuente praised his side after the victory, saying the team had overcome three demanding group-stage matches."Today's game really put us to the test," De la Fuente said. "We've played some very demanding matches, and the team always steps up. We played a different kind of game today, and the team stepped up again.""We're very happy because we've come through three very tough matches," he added.Who is Alex Baena?The 24-year-old left winger was playing his second match for Spain at the FIFA World Cup and scored his maiden goal in the competition against Uruguay.Born on July 20, 2001, in Roquetas de Mar, Spain, Baena began his youth career with CD Roquetas before joining Villarreal's academy, where he spent nearly eight years developing through the club's youth ranks.He made his senior debut for Villarreal in 2018 and his first-team debut in 2020. Across five seasons with the club, he made 148 appearances in all competitions, scoring 26 goals and providing 40 assists.Baena also spent the 2021-22 season on loan at Girona before joining Atletico Madrid on a five-year contract in July last year. During his first season with Atletico, he primarily featured as a substitute, making 46 appearances while scoring two goals and registering three assists.The Spanish attacker also scored in the final of the 2024 Paris Olympics.Baena received his first senior Spain call-up under Luis de la Fuente for UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers against Georgia and Cyprus in 2023. Since then, he has made 19 appearances for the national team and scored three goals.Baena's strike proves decisiveSpain took the lead in the 42nd minute when Baena found space outside the penalty area and struck a powerful effort that Muslera failed to hold, allowing the ball to slip into the net.The goal came while Manuel Ugarte and Lamine Yamal were receiving treatment after going down injured, but play continued and Baena made the most of the opportunity."It might be one of the goals that has made me happiest," Baena said after the match."We knew it was going to be a tough match. They were fighting for their lives, and we were fighting for the top spot. We didn't show our best form, but we competed very well," he added.Uruguay fail to find equaliserUruguay started brightly and focused on limiting Lamine Yamal's influence, while Spain threatened mainly from set pieces in the opening half.Federico Valverde created Uruguay's best first-half opportunity after forcing Rodri into an error, but Darwin Nunez's attempted backheel failed to produce an equaliser.Uruguay continued to press after the break but lacked precision in the final third. Spain remained in control, with Unai Simon making key saves to deny Mathias Olivera and Nicolas de la Cruz late in the game.Ferran Torres nearly doubled Spain's advantage when his effort struck the crossbar before Uruguay's Agustin Canobbio was sent off in stoppage time for a reckless challenge on Pau Cubarsi, bringing an end to Uruguay's World Cup campaign.