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Former England international Gary Neville has responded to fans who mocked him for his earlier assessment that Spain won't make it too far in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Spain were knocked out of the competition in the Round of 16 after Morocco prevailed 3-0 on penalties following a goalless 120 minutes on Tuesday (December 6), with La Roja missing all three of their attempts from the spot.
For the second straight FIFA World Cup, the 2010 champions went out in the first knockout round. Luis Enrique's team struggled to break down a stoic Moroccan side for most of the game and failed to in 120 minutes. They did hit the woodwork, though, with virtually the last kick of the match before penalties.
Before the tournament began, Neville had made a prediction that Spain wouldn't pull up trees due to their weak attack. Speaking on ITV, he had said (via Metro):
"They’re a little bit in transition. Still struggling to produce forwards. … I worry about them up front. It’s OK, but there is no goals in it."
After Spain began their campaign with a 7-0 demolition of Costa Rica, the former Manchester United star was ridiculed online. However, with the side's last-16 elimination today, his prophesy turned out to be spot on. Speaking on ITV after the game, he said:
"I felt a bit of a fool (after they beat Costa Rica), to be honest with you. I felt that strongly before the tournament started (Spain would struggle); then they went and scored seven against Costa Rica, and you think, ‘Wow, what is going on. But in the end, they haven’t got enough up front. They’re not ruthless and not clinical enough."
Neville's words rang true on Tuesday, as Spain misfired badly against Morocco. They ended the game with just one shot on target, despite having 77% of possession and completing 1019 passes.
Spain fail to live up to their potential
Spain's Round-of-16 exit from the 2022 FIFA World Cup marks the end of a campaign that promised so much. La Roja started off with 7-0 thumping of Costa Rica but weren't able to keep up that momentum, as their performances steadily declined thereafter.
Spain were held to a 1-1 draw by Germany in their next game before they lost 2-1 to Japan.
They have a squad with enormous young talent in all departments, but their limp display is a testament to their failure to live up to their potential. Luis Enrique might not continue after this debacle, but Spain will have to revisit the drawing board to bounce back.
