After a golden era that saw the ‘Spanish Armada’ cruise to a European Championship in 2008 and 2012 and the World Cup in 2010, it seems luck has not been so benign on Spain after all. The defending champions slumped to a 2-0 defeat to Chile and in turn made an exit route from the FIFA World Cup in Brazil on Wednesday after their second defeat in five days.

It was always going to be a rough ride for the Spaniards as the Chileans ran victorious from goals scored by Eduardo Vargas and Charles Arranguiz. The result thus allowed the South Americans and the Netherlands, the first teams to go through to the second round in tournament. And for Spain, they raked up another record by equalling Italy’s unwanted record in 1950 of being booted out of the World Cup after just two games.

It was Chile’s first win over the Spain in 11 meetings. It seemed Vincent del Bosque’s men had lack of confidence and it was evident from their 5-1 thrashing to the Netherlands in their first Group B game.
Spanish Coach Vicente del Bosque dropped established stars Gerard Pique and Xavi Hernandez but had little effect on the La Roja who were playing in front of Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium.

The likes of Diego Costa, Iker Casillas, Sergio Ramos, Andres Iniesta and Xavi looked hapless and out of sorts. While the historic Maracana stadium erupted into a riot of red and blue as Chilean supporters started noisy celebrations. This could well and truly be the ‘end of era’ for the Spanish stalwarts as the world awaits a ‘new champion’ within three weeks time.

Chile plays Netherlands to decide top place in Group B on June 23. Spain plays their final game against Australia on the same day.

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After being routed in their opening match against the Dutch, Reigning champions Spain are aiming to avoid a hat-trick of defeats against Chile on Wednesday.

Another loss after their 5-1 thrashing would almost certainly end Spain’s title defense. What’s more, an early exit from the group-stages would make Spain the third straight European winner of the World Cup to flop in the group stage as defending champion.

With Chile as opponents, Spanish coach Vincent del Bosque can make a host of changes to his side that lost to Netherlands.

Spain:
Strengths – If Del Bosque brings in new faces for the clash against Chile, we might get to see a fresh and vibrant Spain. Santi Cazorla, Juan Mata, Cesc Fabregas and David Villa might start the match and would give an impetus to this fluctuating ‘Spanish Armada’.

Weakness – Defence needs to buck as soon as possible. With Chile as opponents, the South American side could leave the full-backs exposed and also threaten them on the set pieces.

Chile:
Strengths – Their win over the Aussies means Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli could start with the same side. This side is known for its blistering pace and quality and could utilise the direct running of forwards Alexis Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas to its fullest.

Weakness – Their star midfielder, Arturo Vidal is still not 100 pc match fit. Six weeks after a knee operation, the Juventus midfielder lacked cohesion and drive that made him the one of the most combative midfielders in the modern game.

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