GUADALAJARA, Mexico (AP) — Ricardo Mazalan is AP’s deputy Latin America director for storytelling and photography. He is a World Cup veteran, starting with France in 1998. Mazalan has also worked at numerous Olympic Games.
Why this photo?
Spain vs Uruguay was the only group stage meeting between the two former world champions and one of the most anticipated matches of the first round. As Uruguay fought to keep its World Cup hopes alive, I expected an intense, hard-fought contest and looked for images that conveyed not only the action, but also the emotion and physicality of the event. The game, in which Agustin Canobbio of Uruguay fought for the ball with Spaniard Marc Cucurella, shows how tense the match was.
Agustin Canobbio of Uruguay (top) fights for the ball with Spain’s Marc Cucurella during the FIFA World Cup Group H soccer match between Uruguay and Spain in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Friday, June 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)
How I took this photo
In many ways, I was not the only one who took this photograph. One of the perks of covering major sporting events is that your work is edited by colleagues whose work you’ve admired for years. There’s always a certain sense of anticipation when one of the top photographers or agency photo editors reviews your work, but it’s especially rewarding when they immediately recognize the same story you saw through the viewfinder. I’ve always felt that the relationship between photographer and editor is a bit like dancing tango: one senses the moment, the other recognizes and interprets it, and together they tell a story that neither could tell alone.
Why does it work
The image works because it conveys more than just a tackle – it conveys the spirit of the match. When Canobbio and Cucurella fell to the ground early in the first half, I felt that moment summed up the match that had unfolded. It turned into a physical battle rather than a display of fluid football and by the final whistle Uruguay were eliminated and Canobbio was sent off. Great sports photographs aren’t always about a winning goal or a decisive save. Sometimes a single moment reveals a story that is still unfolding.
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