After the inquisition, the exhibition — or an exhibition game at the very least.
At the Stade de France in Paris, those who once ruled the world took their first steps towards redemption.
Call it pigeon steps but this was more evolution rather than revolution.
While a new generation of Spanish players may have taken to the field, the result proved to be the same.
Not
one single shot on target and only a few fleeting moments of
encouragement, this will not be a night where those who had hoped for
progress will feel reassured.
Loic
Remy’s 73rd minute strike condemned Spain to defeat as those in red
struggled to escape the shadow which has been cast upon them since their
chastening World Cup experience.
It
was on a Friday night on June 20 inside Rio de Janeiro’s iconic
Maracana Stadium where the football’s landscape shifted in a seismic
measure which so few had predicted.
For
so long, Spain had danced around the world like a matador teasing a
bull, showing its opponent the ball before moving it away with a style
and swagger which delighted so many.
Its
brand of ‘tiki-taka’ brought success — the 2010 World Cup sandwiched in
between victories at the 2008 and 2012 European Championship finals.
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