Del Bosque laments 'sad day' for Spain

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Del Bosque laments 'sad day' for Spain

GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque could not hide his disappointment after the holders were eliminated from the World Cup following a 2-0 defeat to Chile in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday.

"It is a sad day for all of us," he said after Spain were left without a point from two games in Group B, having lost 5-1 to the Netherlands in their opening match last Friday.

"We are sorry we didn't succeed (but) now is too early to analyse where we go from here.

"We were inferior to both Holland and Chile. They got the goals and gave us a mountain to climb. We were too timid in the first half and did not react sufficiently in the second.

"The first goal really buoyed them and they really got into our faces."

The defeat marks a huge fall from grace for Spain, winners of the last two European Championships as well as the 2010 World Cup but now the second side -- after Australia -- to be knocked out of these finals.

"These things happen in sport. It was unexpected, but we need to deal with it. We were unable to maintain the levels of conviction and hunger that brought us success and happiness before," said midfielder Xabi Alonso, the 32-year-old veteran of more than 100 games for his country.

"We committed a lot of errors and didn't have the solidity that had helped us win so many matches. We didn't have the same feeling on the pitch that we had during other championships. Mentally we were not ready and physically we were struggling a little."

After seeing his side secure their place in the last 16 alongside Holland, Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli said: "I am proud of the way we played to put out the world champions. It was a great win over a great team."

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-06-19

[LuckyLew]

He is sad because he is gonna get sacked if he does not resign first

Sent from my GT-N5100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Travel2003]

Wish I could speak Spanish now.

I can only imagine the headlines in the Spanish news papers.

[stevenl]

Wish I could speak Spanish now.

I can only imagine the headlines in the Spanish news papers.

Yes, will be very, very bad.

I do think however this team deserves a lot of respect for what they have achieved the last 8 years. They should be celebrated, not condemned.

[Travel2003]

Wish I could speak Spanish now.

I can only imagine the headlines in the Spanish news papers.

Yes, will be very, very bad.

I do think however this team deserves a lot of respect for what they have achieved the last 8 years. They should be celebrated, not condemned.

I totally agree.

Too easy to say they are old, outdated, etc.

After all, the very same players are playing first team football for some of the best teams in the world.

Their game plans failed.

Maybe some attitude issues (over confident).

And not to forget the group is tough, so on a bad day anyone can lose heavily.

[salty]

The end of a very successful period for Spain. Every European country would be ecstatic to win 2 Europeans and a World Cup. But eaten bread is soon forgotten. Plenty of manure flying about in the Spanish media I would imagine.

I would also agree that Spain deserve a lot of respect for their exploits in previous tournaments.

[Sparkles]

The whole Spanish team just looked totally jaded.Its got to be hard constantly backing up for big games and I guess there comes as time when the body says "I need a break"

Other teams are mentally and physically hungrier and predicting results is near impossible.

Best WC I can remember for a long ,long time.

Australia's performance last night was a revelation.The lowest ranked team in the competition one up against a team that just beat Spain 5-1, unthinkable, and only lack of composure cost them a point or 3

[jellydog]

Xabi nailed it. Good for him. Spain lost their mojo. New era and a new coach I'd guess.

[StevieH]

The end of a very successful period for Spain. Every European country would be ecstatic to win 2 Europeans and a World Cup. But eaten bread is soon forgotten. Plenty of manure flying about in the Spanish media I would imagine.

I would also agree that Spain deserve a lot of respect for their exploits in previous tournaments.

yep, they've been incredible. all good things come to an end and they've had a hell of a run. the ignominy is accentuated by the fact that they flopped so badly and didn't even make it out of the group. but they've a hell of a lot of good young players coming through, they'll be back.

[bigbamboo]

The end of a very successful period for Spain. Every European country would be ecstatic to win 2 Europeans and a World Cup. But eaten bread is soon forgotten. Plenty of manure flying about in the Spanish media I would imagine.

I would also agree that Spain deserve a lot of respect for their exploits in previous tournaments.

yep, they've been incredible. all good things come to an end and they've had a hell of a run. the ignominy is accentuated by the fact that they flopped so badly and didn't even make it out of the group. but they've a hell of a lot of good young players coming through, they'll be back.

Nothing lasts for ever. Football goes in cycles and Spain have had their time at the top table. The question is who will replace them.

[Travel2003]

To state it is a "sad day" must be the understatement of the tournament.

It should be:

we are embarrassed and very sorry for letting the nation down.

we disgraced our self and our nation.

A sad day my ass......

lol