Credits: Getty Images
Spain’s exit from the World Cup Brazil on Wednesday was not the first time that a defending world champion has fallen at the first stage. The same happened with Italy in 1950 and 2010, Brazil in 1966 and France in 2002.
However, none of those four surprise eliminations brought the end to such a dominating run of success as that enjoyed by Spain in recent years. The Spanish have picked up two UEFA EURO titles and a world crown in the last six years.
It was little wonder then that Vicente del Bosque’s men looked so dejected following their tournament-ending defeat to Chileans at the Maracana. Sergio Ramos, who played in both of his side’s losses at Brazil 2014, pulled no punches as he reflected on La Roja’s disappointing performances. He told FIFA.com:
“This is a very tough moment for our national team.”
Though he stopped short of describing it as the end of an era:
“I don’t want to say that because this is the same team that became champions of the world and Europe. We’ve made history in our country and you can’t forget that.”
Spanish were serious title contenders before coming to Brazil. But after yesterdays defeat, Pedro struggled to find reasons :
“It’s hard to explain. We were excited at the prospect of winning this game and carrying on in the competition but it wasn’t meant to be. There’s nothing else for us to do but try to sign off on a high note and then go home.”
“We have to pick ourselves up. It’s tough but we have to look to the future, be positive and try to take Spain back to where it belongs, which is the very top.”
Like Ramos, Pedro also denied it as an end of an era. He was reported saying:
“We’ve got a difficult few days ahead of us, but we’re going to try and finish in the best way we can for ourselves, the fans that have come out here, and for everyone following us at home. We need to show the pride we have in ourselves, even if it’s not really going to mean anything.”
In the immediate future the holders have to take on Australia in a match with nothing at stake before they can fly home.
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