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Spain’s captain, Iker Casillas, has held himself responsible after the 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Netherlands in their first group fixture of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
The Real Madrid goalkeeper admitted that his form has been below par in recent times and apologised to his nation’s supporters.
Talking to Marca, he said, "It's time to be quiet, to reflect and think about the next match against Chile as a final," "We apologise, and I am the first in line. Our fans must give out the criticism that comes to us and forget what happened soon."I have not been up to par and I accept that. We have not been fortunate, starting with me. Now only we think about the next game."I have to take the blame. All we could do is think about the next game when they scored the third goal and went further behind. I am mature enough to receive all criticism. We must sort ourselves out," added Casillas.
Spain endured a dreadful start to their World Cup trophy defence as they were drubbed in their opening fixture which was a rematch of last edition’s final. Xabi Alonso’s penalty put Spain on the front foot, but Robin Van Persie scored a stunning header to level things up before half-time.
The second half was a disaster as Spain conceded 4 goals which included an error from Casillas after the 33-year-old’s casual touch allowed Van Persie to grab the fourth for the Dutch.
Meanwhile, manager Vincente Del Bosque defended his goalkeeper by stressing the fact that no individual should be blamed for the defeat as it was the whole team.
"When a team loses a match it's not just the performance of one single player, its a weakness in the total squad," said Del Bosque."We can't blame anyone, least of all Iker Casillas."
