Eviscerated and humiliated, this was pure pain for Spain. It was revenge, remarkable revenge, for Netherlands, made all the more unlikely by the first 40 minutes.
A rematch of the 2010 World Cup final looked like being a repeat when Spain were leading 1-0. Then came an extraordinary comeback. Spain, winners of three consecutive major tournaments, were not just defeated, but destroyed.
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They lost their opening game in 2010, but that defeat to Switzerland was nothing like this. Very few games are. Now the holders are in grave danger of going out in the group. Having capitulated, they could be eliminated.
The bare facts are that Iker Casillas had not conceded in 476 minutes of World Cup football, then found his goal breached five times. The first was brilliant, the fourth bizarre and indicative of Spain's meltdown, but Robin van Persie scored both. Arjen Robben, too, struck twice in a display of Dutch mastery.
This was a triumph for Louis van Gaal's counter-attacking tactics and for his captain, whose equaliser was an early contender for the goal-of-the-tournament award. Van Persie the flying Dutchman took off to head in from 16 yards. He, Robben and Wesley Sneijder formed a golden triangle for Netherlands. Iker Casillas, Gerard Pique and Sergio Ramos looked a decidedly fallible defensive trio for Spain.
There was a predictable pattern of Spanish possession. Ultimately Dutch incision on the break proved decisive, but not before they trailed. Xabi Alonso drilled his penalty under Jasper Cillessen after Stefan de Vrij caught Diego Costa. If the semi-fit striker justified his surprise selection then, he could have been dismissed later for a headbutt, albeit a tame one, on Bruno Martins Indi.
Behind him, Spain's rotating cast of inventors probed for an opening. Andres Iniesta found one with an exquisite ball for David Silva, whose attempt to chip Cillessen failed. Eighty seconds later, the cost of the miss was apparent as an airborne Van Persie levelled
Daley Blind's diagonal ball from the half-way line was met by Van Persie with an extraordinary diving header that looped over Casillas and in.
The left wing-back was pivotal when Netherlands took the lead. He chipped a pass to Robben, who spun away from Gerard Pique and unleashed a shot that, unlike his effort in the 2010 final, flew past Casillas. Robben, another of Netherlands's marquee players, was magnificent.
After Van Persie struck a half-volley against the bar, the third of them made his most telling contribution. Wesley Sneijder, who had missed a golden chance in the opening minutes, delivered a free kick. De Vrij headed it in at the far post while Spain complained that Van Persie had fouled Casillas.
His protests brought the goalkeeper a caution. Unsettled, he then erred, allowing Van Persie to dispossess him and slot in the fourth. Then Robben sprinted clear from the half-way line to make it five. It could have been 10. It felt like a result to bring down the curtain on an era, to spell the end of the dominance of Spain and tiki-taka.
Man of the Match: Arjen Robben – It required a superb performance simply to see off competition from Van Persie. The devastating Robben provided it. What a player.
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