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MOSCOW (Reuters) – Spain have arrived at the World Cup, convinced to be once again ready to dominate world football, but Sunday's defeat against Russia in the round of 32 will go back to a decade.
The idea that Spain, with a team brimming with winners at the club and international level, could be sent home by the least ranked team of the tournament, would have seemed ridiculous there A month ago, but minutes passed Luzhniki stage it seemed always more likely.
Despite an incredible 1,107 total assists, Spain failed to break the deadlock 1-1 and his fate was sealed when Russian goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev snapped a goes from 4 to 3 for the guests.
Subordinate champions on the international stage, Spain's got rid of this mark during a glorious cycle between 2008 and 2012, where she won two consecutive European Championships and a first World Cup.
But for the national media, this last fiasco was too familiar.
"Spain back 10 years," said the newspaper El Pais, while Marca said, "Spain back to the past".
Where Spain goes from here is far from clear.
They have no coach and should soon be without many players who have been part of the furniture for so long.
Andres Iniesta confirmed his international retirement immediately after the match and Gerard Pique is ready to join him. Sergio Ramos and David Silva will be 34 years old by 2020.
"The end of a generation," said the cover of the newspaper AS.
The decision to dispense with long-time coach Julen Lopetegui a few days before the World Cup after he failed to tell the federation his transfer to Real Madrid after the tournament was inevitably mentioned.
While the decision, made by the president of the federation Luis Rubiales, was supported by broad sections of the media and former influential players like Xavi Hernandez, it disrupted the players who had worked with Lopetegui for two years.
Koke, who also missed the shootout, said that it had been hard to lose him.
"We lost our leader," said the midfielder after the match.
Interim manager Fernando Hierro lacked experience as a coach. He was on the substitutes' bench after Dani Carvajal and Andres Iniesta after dropping them.
Hierro seemed unfit for his sudden transformation from football director to head coach.
"I arrived in costume, I will go in tracksuit," said the former defender of Real Madrid two weeks ago.
He did not expect to leave Russia so soon, but given the turmoil that enveloped the Spanish countryside with the sacking of the man who had them come, no one could really be surprised. by their early exit.
Editing by Peter Rutherford
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