Spain's elimination from the World Cup by Chile not only spelt the end for one of the greatest national teams, but also threatened the demise of an entire footballing philosophy.
Spain's intricate passing style, dubbed 'tiki-taka', swept all before it for the best part of six years, but the sight of Andres Iniesta and Xabi Alonso being harried out of their stride by Jorge Sampaoli's hard-working Chile at the Maracana on Wednesday felt like the end of an era.
Argentina legend Diego Maradona is among those who believe that tiki-taka has become a tactical relic, but can an approach that has become so widespread be invalidated by the result of just one game?
As Spain midfielder David Silva asked British newspaper The Independent before the tournament: "Why would we change? We've done very well with this style. There's no need to change it."
Where Spain led with tiki-taka, winning Euro 2008, so Barcelona followed, dominating the European club game between 2008 and 2011 under Pep Guardiola, who subsequently installed the same playing philosophy at Bayern Munich.
Carlo Ancelotti's counter-attacking Real Madrid got the better of both teams last season, however, routing Bayern 5-0 in the Champions League semi-finals and edging Barcelona in the final of the Copa del Rey.
Bayern's loss to Madrid was particularly illustrative, with the Spanish side procuring a 1-0 first-leg lead despite enjoying only 36 percent of possession at the Santiago Bernabeu.
'Counter-punchers arrive'
Indeed, all over Europe, teams have been relinquishing the ball and still enjoying success, with Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea in the vanguard of the new wave of counter-punching sides.
Rather than endlessly circulating possession in a manner that prompted some critics of tiki-taka to brand it 'boring', the counter-punchers rely on breathless industry and water-tight defensive organisation.
It is on their opponents' mistakes that they prey and in the tika-taka era, with teams falling over themselves to ape the Spanish style by taking more and more risks in possession, it is an increasingly effective approach.
Against such tactics, tiki-taka can seem naive in its steadfast commitment to conserving possession, but its impact already reaches so deep that it would prove impossible to fully uproot.
It was Barcelona, with Lionel Messi, who first brought the 'false nine' tactic to a wider audience, while it is now commonplace to see goalkeepers methodically practising first-time passes during their pre-match warm-ups.
The cult of possession has forced players in every position to sharpen up their technique and has made the scrutiny of passing completion statistics an early port of call in any after-match post-mortem.
Its legacy can also be seen in the ubiquitousness of small, Spanish midfielders at Europe's leading clubs, from Silva at Manchester City and Santi Cazorla at Arsenal to Thiago Alcantara at Bayern and Juan Mata at Manchester United.
'Change names, not identity'
While Xavi Hernandez may never play for Spain again, having been dropped for the 2-0 defeat by Chile, it is in his image -- and with likeminded players such as Thiago -- that the national team will be rebuilt.
The 34-year-old midfielder, a faultless passing metronome for Spain and Barcelona, typifies tiki-taka more than any other player and he believes that it will always be a point of reference for teams such as his own where waiting for the opponent to make a mistake is not an option.
"If you go two years without winning, everything has to change. But you change names, not identity," he said in a 2011 interview.
"The philosophy can't be lost. Our fans wouldn't understand a team that sat back and played on the break."
As Sampaoli observed before his side's victory on Wednesday, Spain are paying the price for the fatigue and fading motivation of their players after six years of near-constant success, rather than any inherent flaw in their tactical approach.
Tiki-taka owed its origins to a unique set of circumstances, specifically the emergence at Barcelona and Spain of a group of similarly aged players who were coached in the same way.
Its figureheads, such as Xavi and Iniesta, were always destined to topple from the sport's summit at some point, but with tiki-taka disciples now dotting the game, it would be precipitous to sound the death knell too soon.
AFP
Thu Jun 19 2014
Spain's forward Fernando Torres wipes tears from his eyes after Spain lost their Group B football match against Chile. -AFP PHOTO / YASUYOSHI CHIBA
MB Terengganu sedia kongsi kepakaran bantu siasatan nahas helikopter TLDM
Menteri Besar Terengganu, Datuk Ser Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar sedia membantu dan berkongsi kepakaran sekiranya diperlukan dalam membantu menyiasat insiden dua helikopter Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) yang terhempas di Lumut, Perak.
Inspektor polis didakwa lakukan amang seksual terhadap remaja 16 tahun ditahan
Seorang pegawai polis berpangkat inspektor ditahan selepas didakwa melakukan amang seksual terhadap seorang remaja perempuan berumur 16 tahun.
Penganggur terlepas tali gantung, hukuman mati diganti penjara 30 tahun, 12 sebatan
Seorang penganggur terlepas tali gantung selepas Mahkamah Persekutuan menggantikan hukuman mati terhadapnya dengan penjara 30 tahun bagi kesalahan membunuh.
Nahas helikopter Lumut: Kerajaan beri bantuan RM10,000 kepada keluarga mangsa
Kerajaan menyalurkan bantuan awal sebanyak RM10,000 kepada keluarga mangsa yang terkorban dalam nahas helikopter di Pangkalan Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) Lumut, pada Selasa.
Kawalan di KLIA Terminal 1 dan 2 dipertingkat dengan 4 skuter elektrik
Kawalan keselamatan di KLIA Terminal 1 dan 2 oleh PDRM terus dipertingkatkan dengan penggunaan empat skuter elektrik.
AWANI Borneo [24/04/2024] – Nahas helikopter | Bernilai RM1.76 juta | Rakyat diutamakan
AWANI Borneo Rabu, 24 April 2025 bersama Assim Iskandar.
- Nahas helikopter : Jasad mendiang Joanna dikebumikan di Serian esok.
- Polis tumpaskan sindiket seludup dadah ke Sarawak bermilai RM1.76 juta.
- DUN Sabah : Pembangkang tidak dipinggir, peruntukan tetap diberikan - Hajiji
- Nahas helikopter : Jasad mendiang Joanna dikebumikan di Serian esok.
- Polis tumpaskan sindiket seludup dadah ke Sarawak bermilai RM1.76 juta.
- DUN Sabah : Pembangkang tidak dipinggir, peruntukan tetap diberikan - Hajiji
Tony Fernandes lanjut kontrak 5 tahun sebagai CEO Capital A
CEO Capital A Bhd Tony Fernandes telah menandatangani kontrak perkhidmatan baharu untuk tempoh lima tahun akan datang.
Skuad B-23 kurang cergas - O' Donell
Aspek kecergasan perlawanan menjadi penyebab utama pemain skuad Bawah 23 Tahun negara gagal memberikan saingan terbaik pada kempen Piala Asia B-23.
Cadangan tubuh Jabatan Perikanan Sarawak dibentang November
Kertas cadangan penubuhan Jabatan Perikanan Sarawak dijangka dibentangkan dalam persidangan Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Sarawak selewat-lewatnya November ini.
Teliti isu limpahan pengusaha pelancongan asing - pembangkang
Ketua Pembangkang, Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal menggesa Kementerian Pelancongan, Kebudayaan dan Alam Sekitar Sabah untuk menangani isu limpahan pengusaha pelancong Korea atau China yang dilihat semakin mendominasi industri pelancongan tempatan.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Perubahan iklim, El Nino punca kebakaran hutan Chile
Perubahan iklim dan fenomena El Nino adalah kunci orang ramai perlu tahu bahawa kebakaran hutan di Chile yang meragut nyawa 131 orang dalam sejarah bencana alam terburuk di Chile.
Kerajaan, pemimpin Amerika Latin ucap takziah pemergian Sebastian Pinera
Kerajaan dan para pemimpin di seluruh Amerika Latin menzahirkan ucapan takziah atas kematian bekas Presiden Chile, Sebastian Pinera dalam nahas helikopter.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah antara yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Gempa bumi 6.2 magnitud gegar Argentina
Gempa bumi dilapor dirasai di bahagian tengah dan selatan negara jiran Chile.
5 maut, helikopter tentera udara Chile terhempas
Lima anggota Tentera Udara Chile terbunuh dalam nahas sebuah helikopter di selatan negara itu Isnin malam.
Chile lulus RUU waktu bekerja 40 jam seminggu
Ahli Parlimen Chile meluluskan rang undang-undang (RUU) untuk mengurangkan waktu bekerja daripada 45 jam kepada 40 jam seminggu.
Speedy Tigers tak rela cicir mata berdepan Chile
Katanya, untuk pergi lebih jauh, Malaysia perlu menundukkan Chile apabila kedua-dua pasukan bertembung hari ini.
Chile ratifikasi CPTPP, peluang besar untuk perniagaan Malaysia - Tengku Zafrul
Perjanjian itu akan berkuat kuasa untuk Chile, sebuah negara di bahagian barat Amerika Selatan, pada 21 Feb 2023.
Chile bergelut mengawal kebakaran hutan, 4,400 hektar kawasan musnah setakat ini
Setakat ini, anggota penyelamat masih berusaha untuk memadam kebakaran di lapan lagi kawasan.