Spanish loss a ‘lesson in humility’
MADRID, Spain (AFP) — The Spanish press bemoaned the country’s “nightmare” start to the World Cup in South Africa in which the European champions received a “lesson in humility” from Switzerland, according to leading daily El Pais on its website.
“A nightmare has started,” said another top newspaper, El Mundo.
The Euro 2008 champions, one of the tournament’s favourites, slumped to a 1-0 defeat against the Swiss in their Group H match in Durban earlier on Wednesday.
“Lesson in humility” was the headline in the sports newspaper Marca.
“We have started the World Cup badly,” it said. The players “remained true to their style but were inaccurate in front of goal.”
Another sports paper, AS, saw it as a “warning” for the Spanish, who dominated most of the match but were unable to score.
The Catalan daily Mundo Deportivo also described it as a “lesson in humility” for Spain, which must recover against Honduras and Chile in order to progress to the second round.