In a torrent of offense and a tornado of cheers, a soccer dynasty came crashing down here Wednesday. Defending World Cup champion Spain couldn’t withstand the firepower of a Chile team bent on avenging a loss in 2010, and a tournament suddenly filled with scoring will produce a new champion in 2014. "It is hard to explain what happened,” said Spain goalie Iker Casillas. “I ask for forgiveness. We did our best and did not want to disappoint people.” Chile scored twice in the first half, effectively putting the match away early in a stunning 2-0 result. The frustration was visible in the faces and actions of the Spanish team after the poor start and it was unable to recover. Spain`s Sergio Busquets holds his head after missing a shot during his team`s loss to Chile. It has been a World Cup of surprises, but none bigger than this. Spain`s defense was suffocating throughout its 2010 run to immortality, as it has been for years leading up to this tournament. The national team went undefeated for a record-tying 35 straight matches between 2006 and 2009, and they are two-time defending European Championship winners. Spain is one of only two teams to win the World Cup outside its home continent. But it could not stop a Netherlands attack in its opening match in an embarrassing 5-1 loss on Friday, and it could not stop the Chileans here Wednesday. "We have no excuses," said head coach Vincente del Bosque. "We were too slow, timid from the start today. It`s a sad day for all of the players and time to think about the future.”Spain`s reign ends as they lose first two matches of World Cup
In a torrent of offense and a tornado of cheers, a soccer dynasty came crashing down here Wednesday. Defending World Cup champion Spain couldn’t withstand the firepower of a Chile team bent on avenging a loss in 2010, and a tournament suddenly filled with scoring will produce a new champion in 2014. "It is hard to explain what happened,” said Spain goalie Iker Casillas. “I ask for forgiveness. We did our best and did not want to disappoint people.” Chile scored twice in the first half, effectively putting the match away early in a stunning 2-0 result. The frustration was visible in the faces and actions of the Spanish team after the poor start and it was unable to recover. Spain`s Sergio Busquets holds his head after missing a shot during his team`s loss to Chile. It has been a World Cup of surprises, but none bigger than this. Spain`s defense was suffocating throughout its 2010 run to immortality, as it has been for years leading up to this tournament. The national team went undefeated for a record-tying 35 straight matches between 2006 and 2009, and they are two-time defending European Championship winners. Spain is one of only two teams to win the World Cup outside its home continent. But it could not stop a Netherlands attack in its opening match in an embarrassing 5-1 loss on Friday, and it could not stop the Chileans here Wednesday. "We have no excuses," said head coach Vincente del Bosque. "We were too slow, timid from the start today. It`s a sad day for all of the players and time to think about the future.”
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