Spain coach Fernando Hierro and captain Sergio Ramos were broken men after their dramatic round of 16 match against Russia but the former took responsibility of their shock defeat to the hosts at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on Sunday.
The 2010 world champions were stunned by Russia, who somehow managed to take the game to penalties after drawing 1-1 after 120 minutes of football. In the shootouts, Russia converted all of their four penalties and Igor Akinfeev saved two of the five spot kicks to win 4-3 on the night and move into the quarters.
Hierro, who replaced Julen Lopetegui at the start of the tournament, had a job on his hands after the drama that unfolded right before Spain’s World Cup opener and he just did enough to take La Roja to the knockout phases but his luck ran out and he feels that there were no cracks in the dressing room and the team gave everything.
“This is sad, it is the way it is. I’m not holding anything against anybody. We came here with ambition and we empathize with our people, those that came all the way to Russia. I don’t think you can talk about the team breaking down or collapsing. There’s a fine line between winning and losing,” said the former Spain defender.
“Nevertheless I do accept responsibility and I don’t avoid blame. We all tried to give it our best but that’s football,” added the 50-year-old.
The former Real Madrid player also paid his tribute Andres Iniesta, who probably played his last World Cup match. The former Barcelona player came on in the 67th minute to replace David Silva, did his best to make his team win but it was just not his day as the Russians somehow managed to withstand Spain’s ‘boring’ possession football and tale it to penalties, where they edged the Spaniards out.
“I give my whole hearted recognition to one of the greatest players of our history. He’s an outstanding professional. The way he played on the pitch when he substituted on was like he was playing in his first cap and I want to thank him whole-heartedly,” said the Spanish coach.