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| Chile's Eduardo Vargas, right, scores the opening goal during the group B World Cup soccer match between Spain and Chile at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, June 18, 2014. |
RIO DE JANEIRO
(AP) -- Defending champion Spain, the dominant global football power
for the past six years, was eliminated from World Cup contention
Wednesday with a 2-0 loss to Chile.
Spain's
famed passing game failed against a high-tempo, tenacious Chile team,
its era ending in the storied Maracana Stadium filled mostly with
Chilean supporters.
Eduardo Vargas tricked
goalkeeper Iker Casillas into diving the wrong way, then shot into an
unguarded goal in the 20th minute. Charles Aranguiz scored in the 43rd
when the ball landed at his feet after Casillas punched out a free kick.
Spain's
second loss, after a 5-1 rout by the Netherlands, ended any hope of
advancing. Chile and the Netherlands will both advance, regardless of
who wins the game between them.
Spain won the European Championship in 2008 and 2012, in addition to the 2010 World Cup.
Spain
came to Brazil with a very similar - but older - team than the one that
won those titles. They added Brazilian-born striker Diego Costa, but he
failed to score a goal.
Their "tiki-taka"
style of play - keeping the ball for long stretches with short passes,
and only shooting when you had a clear opening - had not been working as
well in recent years. Brazil defeated Spain 3-0 in last summer's
Confederations Cup, a warm-up for the World Cup.
Spain
became the third straight European defending World Cup champion to flop
in the group stage. France in 2002 and Italy four years ago also failed
to advance, or even win a match.
Badly needing a win, del Bosque stayed loyal to captain Casillas despite the veteran goalkeeper's errors against the Dutch.
Two
pillars of Spain's title runs, Barcelona pair Xavi Hernandez and Gerard
Pique with a combined 194 appearances, were left out.
Xabi
Alonso probably should have joined them. His agonizing first half
typified Spain's problems and his errors led to both goals.
And
Alonso's selection left a younger version of his former self, Atletico
Madrid's Koke, on the bench until the logical change was made at half
time.
Alonso gave away the ball to Alexis
Sanchez to start a move down Chile's right wing by Arturo Vidal and
Aranguiz, leading to Vargas' score. Alonso trailed behind the play and
put his hands to his head.
Alonso was booked in the 40th before conceding another foul, on Sanchez, three minutes later 22 yards (meters) out.
When
Casillas punched away Sanchez's curling free-kick, Aranguiz trapped the
ball then flicked a rising shot spinning away from the goalkeeper's
reach.
Alonso had Spain's best early chance, a 15th-minute shot smothered by Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.
Often wayward in its passing, Spain missed two clear chances early in the second half.
Costa
was slow on Andres Iniesta's threaded pass in the 49th, and Sergio
Busquets was guilty of a glaring miss, volleying wide from five meters
in the 53rd.
After Bravo pushed away shots by substitute Santi Cazorla and Iniesta, Chile's win was sealed.
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