Saturday 14 June 2014

We Are To Blame


Spain coach Vicente del Bosque refused to single out any of his stunned players for blame after the holders crashed to a shocking 5-1 reverse to Netherlands in their World Cup Group B opener on Friday.
Spain took the lead in Salvador through a 27th-minute Xabi Alonso penalty before Robin van Persie levelled a minute before halftime but the ragged world and European champions were outplayed by the Dutch in the second period.
It was their worst defeat at a World Cup since they lost 6-1 to Brazil in 1950 and only their fourth competitive loss under Del Bosque since he took over at the end of 2008.
"It's certainly not a happy moment for us," Del Bosque told a news conference.
"As a sportsman, I'd like to congratulate the Dutch side, they overwhelmed us in the second half," added the 63-year-old.
"At this point it's not time to point fingers of blame. We are all to blame.
"We have to look ahead and go to our next match and secure a win against Chile."
Spain can take a small scrap of comfort from the fact that they also lost their opening group game, a 1-0 defeat to Switzerland, on the way to winning their debut world title in South Africa four years ago, when they beat the Dutch 1-0 in the final.
However, it will be harder for them to recover from Friday's reverse, the biggest defeat for a defending champion in the opening game at the following tournament.
"Of course a defeat hurts and is painful for both for those on and off the pitch," Del Bosque said.

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