Minguillon's Late Try Seals Spain's Dramatic 18-12 Win Over Uruguay in Madrid

With five minutes left in Madrid, Spain were losing. Uruguay had just scored, the crowd at the Estadio Nacional Universidad Complutense had gone quiet, and a proud home record — Spain have never lost to Uruguay on Spanish soil — was slipping away. Then Gauthier Minguillon got the ball, and the record survived.

Minguillon's try, five minutes from time, sealed an 18-12 win for Los Leones in one of the most dramatic matches of the World Rugby Nations Cup so far, and it was the least Spain deserved for an afternoon of sheer refusal to lose. They had trailed, they had chased, and when the moment came, they took it.

The star of the afternoon, though, played for the losing side. Justo Ferrario, Uruguay's 20-year-old centre, scored two tries in only his second international appearance, and both of them were special. The first came after a marauding run from number eight Manuel Diana had been halted on the edge of Spain's 22; Ferrario collected the ball and weaved through the home defence with a turn of speed and footwork that left defenders grasping at air. His second, in the 69th minute, looked like it had won the match.

Spain had their own moments. Alejandro Laforga went over in the left corner in the 22nd minute, collecting a brilliant long pass from fly-half Bautista Guemes, and from there it was a fast, open, fiercely contested game in front of a partisan home crowd. But every time Spain pushed, Uruguay pushed back, and Ferrario's second try seemed to have settled it.

It had not. Minguillon's late score turned the match on its head, and with it the shape of the tournament. The home crowd, quiet moments earlier, found its voice again, and the final five minutes were played almost entirely in Uruguay's half as Spain closed the game out with the ball in hand, refusing to give Los Teros one last chance to steal it back.

Spain claimed their second win of the Nations Cup and climbed two places in the World Rugby rankings, up to 15th. Uruguay, meanwhile, are still without a win after four games, and their wait goes on — next week they face Zimbabwe in Ealing, while Spain host Chile in Madrid.

For Spain, this was a win built on grit as much as skill. They were tested, they were behind late, and they found a way. For Uruguay, it was another afternoon of promise without reward — and a reminder that in this tournament, being the better team for 75 minutes is not always enough.