A disappointed Spain squad touched down in Madrid on Monday evening as they were consoled by family and friends following their elimination from the World Cup. Goalkeeper David de Gea cut a forlorn figure, as did manager Fernando Hierro, as the country try to come to terms with their shock exit to hosts Russia on penalties.
With the fall of Germany in the group stage, it appeared that Spain had a relatively straightforward route to the final as they fell in the kinder half of the draw. But Sergei Ignashevich’s early own goal was cancelled out by Artem Dzyuba minutes before the interval and the hosts resiliency was evident for all to see as they forced a penalty shootout.
Players swiftly took to their social media after the exit to apologise to supporters for the unexpected exit. Isco wrote on Instagram: ‘Today is the saddest day of my career… but this is football and this does not stop … life does not stop … it’s time to get up as we have always done.’
Defender Sergio Ramos finished his letter to supporters with: ‘If you want to think about failure, you are free to do so. We prefer to think that it is a new opportunity to cry, to learn, to get up, to grow and to continue struggling. We will do it, that’s for sure.