RIO DE JANERIO, June 19
Too tired, too slow and too few points. Spain’s World Cup is over, and an era ends.

Vicente Del Bosque’s team have become only the fifth defending champions in history to go out in the group stage, but the first the lose their opening two games and thereby the quickest to ever go home. They are also the first team eliminated from the 2014 tournament.

That sums up the scale of the fall almost as much as the poverty of their play. Chile, as they promised before the game, have made history.

The South Americans also consigned Spanish dominance to the past with a display that brilliantly outpaced their famous philosophy and made it look brutally outdated. The contrasts seem to be confirmed within minutes. Spain embarked on a relatively sedate spell of passing, only for Chile to snap at the ball and tear at their defence. It caused instant panic, not too dissimilar from the chaos the Dutch created. Arturo Vidal nutmegged Javi Martínez in the box and, just as Eduardo Vargas seemed set to finish, Xabi Alonso took it off his toe... but almost put it into his own net.

Again, chaos.

It was a warning sign. The fact Martinez was involved indicated that Spain’s problems were perhaps more profound than the choice of personnel. Del Bosque’s side did temporarily recover some of their old confidence, thanks to some composed passing. That at last illustrated that the decision to drop a declined Xavi was not mistaken. For a time, it was Chile forced into errors.

One dreadful pass from Marcelo Díaz needlessly gifted David Silva and Diego Costa the ball and so much space, only for the forward to take it too far then hit a wayward shot. Andrés Iniesta collected and the ball came back to Alonso, but the goalkeeper Claudio Bravo was equal to it.

Soon, Chile recovered their balance, and upended Spain’s. They certainly left a line of Spanish defenders on the ground as, within four minutes, the South American side surged into the lead.

It was a goal at once glorious and awful. Every Chilean touch was brilliant, every Spanish attempt at a tackle hapless. Vidal and Alexis Sanchez sleekly worked the ball through to Charles Aranguiz, who cut back for Vargas to cleverly finish.

Spain were quietened by what was by now their horror situation: they had to chase the game, under severe pressure from what was at stake, but also leaving themselves susceptible to the pace of Sanchez.

By then, there was an impotent toil to their play, so reminiscent of France in 2002.

Chile displayed more life and vigour in everything they did. While Spain struggled to generate momentum, the South Americans were winning flying challenges and effortlessly pulling off nutmegs. The second goal summed it all up, right down to an Iker Casillas error. While Spanish displayed panicked hesitation, Chile emphatically seized the initiative. The goalkeeper punched a free-kick anywhere he could. Aranguiz powered it precisely into the corner. Costa could not replicate such accuracy at the other end. The Chelsea striker has provoked much debate, from his eligibility to his suitability, but the bottom line here is that he was not fully fit. Costa did display some of his supreme bustle moments later on, with an impressively improvised bicycle kick to set up Sergio Busquets just yards from the goal.

Tonight Live on Sony Six 9.30 PM Italy vs Costa Rica 12.30 AM Switzerland vs France 3.30 AM Honduras vs Ecuador

Somehow, Busquets missed. It was another sign. The oddity was that Spain had at that point had more than enough chances to win the game well. The reality was that they didn’t deserve to. Del Bosque had so much talent on the bench and so much depth... but selected a faded star as a saviour. Salvation didn’t seem set to arrive. Instead, Chile kept delivering dangerous balls in the Spanish half, with Sanchez powering through them in the stark manner of Arjen Robben. It brought even more chaos.

Spain could do nothing like that to Chile. More passes were moved around the box, more shots were sent just wide, but there was never an actual sense it was close.

There was only more laboriousness. Substitute Santi Cazorla attempted to control the ball in a dangerous position but only succeeded in falling over it.

Spain have fallen from their perch. One of the greatest sides of all time have suffered one of the most dismal endings. — The Independent

Consequences await It’s true that when such things (loss) happen during a World Cup or a tournament, such things have consequences. But I don’t want to speak about that right now. We have time to analyse, time to think and reflect what we have to do. I think this team is good, is fit but we will have to take a decision on what is best for Spanish football as well and that includes myself Vicente del Bosque , Spain manager

RIO DE JANERIO, June 19
Don’t be fooled by the doubters. Tiki-taka is dead. Spain’s complete capitulation in the World Cup, Barcelona’s fall from grace from the top of Spanish and European football, and Bayern Munich’s demolition at the hands of Real Madrid in the Champions League are all worrying signs for fans of the possession-based style. Chile’s victory over Spain condemned the reigning World Cup holders to an early flight home after Vicente del Bosque’s side became the first defending champions to lose their opening two matches in World Cup history.

Some have claimed that the end of Spain’s six-year domination of world football does not mean the end of tiki-taka, but simply a new dawn in the history of Spanish football as the old guard come to the end of their careers. This simply is not true.

Of the starting XI on Wednesday, only Iker Casillas, Xabi Alonso and Andres Iniesta are over 30 – the latter by just 38 days – and the average age of those players came in a little over 27 years old. Even without 34-year-old Xavi in the team, that’s far from over the hill.

The problem lies in how teams are coping with the patient, passing-based style of football employed by these sides. Opponents of Barcelona and Spain in recent years have often sat back in fear that any defensive error will allow their opponents the simplest of chances to score, and thus showed little-to-no threat in attack. But lately sides like Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Bayern and the Netherlands have shown that a well-disciplined back-line will allow those ahead to flood forward using pace as a key weapon.

Chile followed suit yesterday evening to a victory. It’s widely expected that key players such as Sergio Ramos, Andres Iniesta and David Silva will still figure in the squad come the 2016 European Championships, and they’ll need to show a more direct philosophy if they are to succeed in France. That doesn’t mean they need to lump it to the big man up top, so-to-speak, but take their chances quickly and precisely rather than jinking in and out of the box until an opportunity arises.

The final group match against Australia will probably be a new chapter in Spain’s history. This isn’t a claim suggesting that tiki-taka was never the right option. It tore apart teams time and time again for years and led Spain to the very top, but the time is right to take a fresh approach and keep one step ahead of the opposition.

One clear problem though as been the alarming decline in the performances of captain Casillas, and you wouldn’t be surprised if he is dropped for Manchester United’s David de Gea in the near future.

Twenty two -year-old Koke is another who could find himself in a prominent role should Xavi announce his retirement. His good form for Atletico Madrid has been a key reason behind the La Liga success, and he has also shown a strong partnership with Diego Costa to unlock the best from the Brazilan native – something that those on the pitch clearly struggled to do yesterday.

Tiki-taka could make a comeback, but it’ll have to develop as every style does. Pep Guardiola’s intentions at Bayern to implement his favoured tactics has shown good signs.

Guardiola to manage Spain? Don’t bet against it.

— The Independent

Manaus, June 19
Bolstered by the return of suspended striker Mario Mandzukic, Croatia delivered a telling performance in a 4-0 rout of Cameroon and will head into Monday's clash with Mexico with their tails up. Having missed the opening 3-1 loss against Brazil, the 28-year old hitman scored a brace on his World Cup debut and was a constant threat with his tireless running and presence.

Mandzukic said Croatia needed to keep their feet on the ground in order to approach the Mexicans with clear heads. Brazil and Mexico have four points from two Group A games, Croatia have three and eliminated Cameroon none.

Croatia, in all probability, will need to beat Mexico in Recife to advance to the last 16, although a draw would be enough if Brazil lose to Cameroon, a prospect Mandzukic readily dismissed. “We know that we have to go for a win and will head into the clash fearlessly as it’s the only way we can beat a very good Mexican side,” he said.

“I worked for the team against Cameroon and the goals came as a reward, hopefully we will fire on all cylinders again because we will need to.” Croatia coach Niko Kovac praised Mandzukic's display and said he would prepare his side to face Mexico as if it were a "final". “Mandzukic again showed he is a big player and a prolific scorer, the kind of striker that strikes fear into the opposition’s hearts.

“It was a good display against the Cameroonians but there will be no resting on laurels, that’s for sure,” the 42-year old coach told reporters after Croatia enjoyed their biggest World Cup win as an independent nation. “In Mexico, we will have a strong and aggressive opponent and this match is like a final in itself. We will have to play with a lot of faith in ourselves if we are to progress.”

Meanwhile, Arsenal are set to make a £15million bid for Mandzukic as the club line up alternatives to leading target Mario Balotelli. — Reuters

Salvador, June 19
Since 1998, the erratic French football team has either reached the final or failed to win a game at the World Cup.

So now, after a clinical 3-0 defeat of Honduras, fans of Les Bleus could be daring to dream again as France take on neighbours Switzerland in the second Group E game on Friday. The dominant display against Honduras on Sunday featured a resurgence of flair and free-flowing football that was non-existent in a disastrous South Africa campaign in 2010.

Four years ago the players mutinied against coach Raymond Domenech and returned home in disgrace. But Didier Deschamps has built a more unified squad and even though Franck Ribery is out injured, Karim Benzema, Paul Pogba and Olivier Giroud offer a dangerous attacking threat.

The Swiss, who grabbed a last-gasp 2-1 win over Ecuador in their first game, are likely to provide a sterner test.

With World Cup goals flying in across Brazil and Benzema looking in fine fettle, fans descending on Salvador’s Fonte Nova arena might well expect another goal fest, although a quick look at recent encounters suggests otherwise. The last three matches between the two countries have ended in draws with a total of only two goals. France won the two games prior to that and Switzerland have to go back to 1992 for their last win.

But the Swiss have made great strides in recent years, their prospects boosted by a more exciting crop of players largely playing in Europe’s top leagues, such as hard tackling captain Gokhan Inler and the skilful Xherdan Shaqiri.

Deschamps is unlikely to tinker much with his side, with the same back four of Mathieu Debuchy, Raphael Varane, Mamadou Sakho and Patrice Evra likely to start. His big decision will come on the left of midfield.

Antoine Griezmann started against Honduras with the excellent Benzema up front, but Deschamps could be tempted to move Benzema out to the left and bring in Giroud up front to add more height and power to the side.

Whoever gets the nod will have an eye on the history books, since the next goal will be France’s 100th at a World Cup. Haris Seferovic, Switzerland’s hero in the first match after grabbing a 93rd minute winner, said France’s attacking talents could be their downfall.

“There will surely be more space (than versus Ecuador) because the French like to play more. They are strong in attack, but it may be their weakness to want to attack too much,” he said. — Reuters

Ottmar, wily as ever The trusty beige raincoat is gone but Ottmar Hitzfeld is clearly wily as ever as the veteran Switzerland coach showed in the 2-1 Group E win over Ecuador. Hitzfeld’s two substitutes scored the goals as his team overcame a 1-0 halftime deficit to record their first-ever win over South American opposition at a World Cup at the sixth attempt. “Ottmar has developed a very, very good feeling as to when he has to react,” Hitzfeld’s Switzerland predecessor Kobi Kuhn said. Hitzfeld is one of Europe’s most successful coaches. The 65-year-old, who retires after the World Cup, won the Bundesliga a total of seven times, with Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, and the Champions League once with each. He prepares for matches with the meticulous precision which might be expected of a qualified maths teacher and his management of the players is so good that former Daimler-Chrysler chief Juergen Schrempp once described him as a role model for German business leaders. He rarely loses his temper and prefers not to say anything at all when he is upset. “When I’m totally silent, it’s a bad sign,” he once said. “That’s when I can become dangerous.” France benefit from raging Benzema’s return to form With the weight of France’s attacking options resting largely on his shoulders in the absence of the injured Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema has made a fine start to the World Cup. Benzema, who last month helped Real Madrid win their 10th European Cup, came close to a hat-trick in France’s 3-0 Group E win over Honduras on Sunday, scoring twice and causing goalkeeper Noel Valladares to give away an own goal. The picture was very different, though, before France secured their place at the finals with a playoff second-leg win at home to Ukraine in November, Benzema scoring as the French went through 3-2 on aggregate. Coach Didier Deschamps had dropped Benzema in September with France struggling in the qualifiers and he came back as a substitute and scored the last goal in a 6-0 friendly rout of Australia in October to end a 16-month international goal drought. “The important moment for him was when he came on and scored. The crowd made fun of him but he reacted very well. That changed a lot of things,” Deschamps said. Benzema has since scored eight goals in seven France matches. “It’s his merit,” Deschamps said. “He dug deep inside himself to find that inner strength, that rage which makes him so important (for us).” Other clashes clash of former coaches Curitiba: Honduras and Ecuador, who lost their opening games, chase a vital World Cup victory on Friday in a game that will see both coaches plotting the downfall of their former teams. In an unusual twist, Honduras are led by Luis Fernando Suarez, the man who guided Ecuador to the last 16 in 2006, their best showing at a World Cup. Ecuador are coached by Reinaldo Rueda, who was in charge of Honduras in their 2010 World Cup campaign when they failed to make it past the first round and did not score a goal. To add to the feeling of familiarity, both coaches are Colombians. “I had great times in Honduras, but now I’m here and as always I must go for the win,” said Rueda. “Honduras is a great team, we all know their ability. They didn’t start well, but they want and they need to win as much as we do,” he added. The two teams have never met in a competitive fixture but played out eight draws in 13 friendlies. They will not be able to settle for cancelling each other out on Friday as both need to win to maintain a realistic chance of progressing from a group which also includes France and Switzerland. — PTI Italy wary of tropical terror Natal: Italy look to reach the World Cup last 16 with victory over giant-killers Costa Rica on Friday but the four-time champions are wary of Recife’s tropical conditions. Tough-tackling Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi has underlined Costa Rica’s likely advantage in the sweltering conditions in Recife, where he said Italy were “dying from the heat” last year during the Confederations Cup. Having made a blistering start to what is only their fourth World Cup campaign with a shock 3-1 win over Uruguay, the ‘Ticos’ would be forgiven for keeping the pace high from kick-off as they go in search of another upset. “Italy have great players like (Mario) Balotelli and (Andrea) Pirlo, who controls all of their play, and we have a lot of respect for them,” said Christian Bolanos. Italy’s Mario Balotelli (C) poses for a selfie with children during a training session in Mangaratiba. REUTERS “But we’ll hope to benefit from the heavy climate. We are used to playing in those kinds of temperatures.” Italy, who crashed out at the group stage in 2010, launched their bid for a record-equalling fifth title with a crucial 2-1 win over England in last week in their opener. But the four-time champions were given notice following Costa Rica’s shock win over 2010 semifinalists Uruguay that a match they would have been widely expected to dominate may be more difficult than first imagined. “They’ll be fired up after their win,” said De Rossi. “If they had lost 4-0 then we might have underestimated them, but now there’s no chance of that.” — PTI

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Patiala, June 19
Jagdeep Singh Bains, one of the best basketball players produced by Punjab, is paying the price for his commitment towards Punjab. When he was at the top of his game, he was pursued by different teams across India; he chose to stay on in the state, to play for Punjab Police. However, his life changed completely when, as a result of a petition filed by two players — which was not even directed at him — Bains was dismissed from service in 2012.

Born in 1986 in Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, Bains took up basketball in 2001. Within one year, he was part of the Rajasthan team. That’s when noted coach Dr S Subramanian noticed him, and invited him to join the Ludhiana Basketball Academy. Bains agreed, and was soon part of the junior India team, and made his place in the senior team at age 19. He became an integral part of the Indian team, playing over 20 international tournaments, including the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and multiple Asian Basketball Championships.

Several top employers in the country — including Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Indian Railways and various banks — wanted to hire him and had even created special posts for him. He was offered lucrative terms of employment, but Bains stuck to Punjab.

In 2007, when the Congress government was in power, he was issued an appointment letter for the post of Assistant Sub Inspector. The educational criteria were relaxed for him since he could not study past Class XII due to his busy basketball career. However, he could not then join Punjab Police as the pre-election Code of Conduct was on for the Assembly elections.

Later, the SAD-BJP alliance came to power and after trials, he was again issued an appointment letter. He was made an ASI, along with 60 other players, who were appointed constables at that time. As many of 30 of them, including Bains, were given educational qualification relaxation by NPS Aulakh, Director General of Punjab Police. Bains mostly stayed in Bangalore with the Indian camp and returned to Punjab only to represent the state in important tournaments.

Meanwhile, two players filed a writ petition in the Punjab and Haryana High Court against two fellow players, who were appointed as constables in 2008. The two claimed that their sports merit was higher than of those appointed. As a result, Punjab Police withdrew the educational qualification relaxation for all the players.

After serving Punjab Police for four years, Bains was dismissed in 2012. India’s star player was disgusted with the fact that Punjab Police dismissed all the players, instead of individually considering cases on merit. Under stress, he got injured while training and now faces an uncertain future.

His father Gurjant Singh, an athletics coach in Sri Ganganagar, said that they have filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court. “There was a time when every department was offering him whatever post he wanted. He chose Punjab. But the state has completely forgotten his contribution. Now, he is overage (for employment) and struggling with an injury,” Gurjant said.

GS Sahota, ADGP Punjab Armed Police, said the department was helpless as they could not go against the court orders. “Even as we tried our level best to pursue their case, our plea was dismissed and we were forced to dismiss them,” he added.

Teja Singh Dhaliwal, general secretary of the Punjab Basketball Association and vice-president of the Basketball Federation of India, said: “He was pressurised to join Punjab Police, which didn’t even bother to defend him.”

“He has been awarded the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award, but what is the use! If the government say they were helpless, they should have made some other arrangement for him. Why should he suffer due the fault of the government?” Dhaliwal said. “When circle style kabaddi players can be given jobs, why not these talented players?”

New Delhi, June 19
Indian shooter Jitu Rai won a historic gold medal in the men’s air pistol event at the ISSF World Cup in Maribor, Slovenia, today.

Jitu, who had won a silver medal in the free pistol competition a few days ago, shot 200.8 in the final round to clinch the yellow metal in the air pistol event. Jitu, thus, became the first Indian shooter to have won two medals in a World Cup. The gold here was Jitu’s third medal in back-to-back World Cups. He had won the air pistol silver in the last edition.

Jitu shot 584 out of 600 and was ranked third in the qualification round. Carrera Pablo of Spain won the silver with a score of 198.7, while Russia’s Gourianov Anto bagged the bronze with a final score of 177.2. — PTI

Mirpur, June 19
The third ODI between India and Bangladesh today was abandoned after frequent rains marred play on a day the visitors put up another shoddy batting display.

Having won the series 2-0, a third stoppage due to heavy downpour during the Indian innings ensured there was no chance of a clean sweep for the Men in Blue. Weather had played spoilsport in all the matches but today it became the decisive factor as even an efficient drainage system couldn’t ensure the start of the proceedings after India were reeling at 119 for nine in 34.2 overs with the match being reduced to 40 overs a side after a second stoppage.

A third spell of shower was enough for the umpires to call off the match.

Brief scores: India 119/9 in 34.2 overs (Pujara 27, Binny 25*; Shakib 3/27, Taskin 2/15) vs Bangladesh. — PTI

Dubai, June 19
Viswanathan Anand came up with a thumping victory over reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen but had to settle for the bronze medal in the World Rapid Chess Championship.

The game with Carlsen, who won gold despite the defeat, was the talking point for thousands as Anand is set for a re-match with Carlsen in November to determine the next world champion. — PTI

Kuala Lumpur, June 19
India bagged its second title at the Tri-Nation squash doubles tournament here today when Dipika Pallikal and Joshana Chinappa emerged winners in the women's doubles final.

Pallikal and Joshana rallied to beat New Zealand's Joelle King and Amanda Landers Murphy 8-11, 11-5, 11-1. — PTI

BRIEFLY

West Indies tighten grip on second Test with NZ
Port of Spain: Jermaine Blackwood completed a half-century on debut to put West Indies in control of the second Test against New Zealand in Trinidad on Wednesday. The 22-year-old celebrated his call up to the Test team with a well-crafted 63. Blackwood also shared a vital 76-run partnership for the eighth wicket with his captain Denesh Ramdin (32), helping West Indies finish with an impressive first innings total of 460 after they resumed the third day on 310 for five. Brief scores: New Zealand 221 and 73/1 (Williamson 38*, Latham 30*) trail West Indies 460 (Brathwaite 129, Bravo 109; Sodhi 4/96) by 166 runs

Charlesworth quits as Aussie coach before Glasgow
Sydney: Ric Charlesworth will step down as Australia's coach before next month's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Hockey Australia said today. Australia beat the Netherlands 6-1 to win the World Cup in The Hague last weekend and Charlesworth, 62, believed now was the best time to quit. "Last Sunday's World Cup final is the best full stop I could wish for in my coaching career. I believe it would be indulgent for me to go to the Commonwealth Games," he said in a statement. — Agencies