SPAIN’S REIGN FIZZLES
Six-year soccer king ’s rule ends with whimper as defeat ensures early World Cup exit
RIO DE JANEIRO Every dynasty, regardless of how beautiful or beloved, will eventually end.
But the way Spain crashed out of the World Cup was so quick, so shocking, so horribly bad. It seemed more impostor to the throne than the team that ruled the world for the last six years.
“Cycles come to an end in defeat,” midfielder Xabi Alonso said after the Spaniards limped out of the World Cup with a 2-0 loss to Chile on Wednesday. “No doubt something will change.”
It was the fifth time the defending World Cup champion failed to advance to the knockout rounds and the first time it was eliminated before the end of the group stage. Having already suffered its worst defeat in a competitive game since 1950 with its 5-1 loss to the Netherlands, Spain now must beat Australia in its fi- nal group game to avoid its worst World Cup showing ever.
“I would never, ever have thought we’d leave the tournament after the first phase,” coach Vicente del Bosque said through an interpreter. “Sometimes you see teams that are not really dedicated or not looking forward to a tournament, and that was not the case.”
The world of sports has little reverence for pedigree or past
success, casting aside champions and stars with callous disregard. No sooner has a player or team achieved something than the countdown to their comeuppance begins.
Spain, however, seemed immune to such frailties.
It has been almost untouchable since it won its first European championship in 2008, adding the World Cup title two years later and another European crown in 2012. No other team had won three major international tournaments in a row.
If anyone were to join Italy (1934-1938) and Brazil (19581962) as back-to-back World Cup champions, surely it would be Spain.
“We came here with the same mentality, approaching the games the same way,” forward Fernando Torres said. “That time we won; this time we lose. We did nothing different. We are doing the same always.
“But not always in football you can win.”
But it wasn’t just its record that made Spain so special. It was the elegance with which it played, a possession-based style that built from the back through the midfield with one precise pass after another.
The style was dubbed “tikitaka,” a nickname as pleasing to the ear as Spain’s game was to the eye. Coaches and players from peewees to the pros tried to emulate it, but imitations are never as good as the original.
That’s what made Spain’s performance in Brazil so disheartening.
It would have been one thing if Spain had been beaten playing its beautiful game. But it was a disheveled mess, looking slow, listless and, frankly, old. Once a team with swagger to spare, Spain wore the look of a team already beaten.
“One problem is that we have been so used to having everything go our way,” del Bosque said this week. “In the face of tough matches, we should be prepared to face adversity.”
No one was shakier than goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Dubbed “Saint Iker” for his brilliance in 2010, his early mistakes against Chile ended Spain’s hopes of recovering.
“Spain has played very well over the years. They had wonderful performances, and that’s why they were European champions and world champions in 2010,” Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli said. “But today, that generation of players couldn’t keep their success.
“It’s normal, because success is not forever.”
And the Spanish knew it. When Sergio Busquets muffed what should have been a gimme shot from close range in the second half, he fell to the grass on his knees, his head bowed.
Someone else will soon be king.