Del Bosque laments 'sad day' for Spain

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque could not hide his disappointment after the holders were eliminated from the World Cup following a 2-0 defeat to Chile in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday.
"It is a sad day for all of us," he said after Spain were left without a point from two games in Group B, having lost 5-1 to the Netherlands in their opening match last Friday.
"We are sorry we didn't succeed (but) now is too early to analyse where we go from here.
"We were inferior to both Holland and Chile. They got the goals and gave us a mountain to climb. We were too timid in the first half and did not react sufficiently in the second.
"The first goal really buoyed them and they really got into our faces."
The defeat marks a huge fall from grace for Spain, winners of the last two European Championships as well as the 2010 World Cup but now the second side -- after Australia -- to be knocked out of these finals.
"These things happen in sport. It was unexpected, but we need to deal with it. We were unable to maintain the levels of conviction and hunger that brought us success and happiness before," said midfielder Xabi Alonso, the 32-year-old veteran of more than 100 games for his country.
"We committed a lot of errors and didn't have the solidity that had helped us win so many matches. We didn't have the same feeling on the pitch that we had during other championships. Mentally we were not ready and physically we were struggling a little."
After seeing his side secure their place in the last 16 alongside Holland, Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli said: "I am proud of the way we played to put out the world champions. It was a great win over a great team."
Source: AFP