Chile 2 - 0 Spain
Final
  for this game

Spain aims to stay alive against Chile

Jul 10, 2014 - 1:11 AM Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (SportsNetwork.com) - Spain enters its second Group B match against Chile on Wednesday at the Maracana in desperate need of a response.

The defending champions suffered an embarrassing 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Netherlands in their opening match, and another loss to Chile on Wednesday would bring an extremely premature end to their tournament.

After taking the lead against the Dutch with a penalty kick from Xabi Alonso in the 27th minute, Spain fell apart and watched as Robin van Persie equalized shortly before halftime.

The second half was a nightmare for Vicente del Bosque's team as they saw the Netherlands score four unanswered goals, including a pair of gifts from goalkeeper Iker Casillas.

Whether or not the veteran Casillas returns to the lineup in goal will be a tough decision for Del Bosque to make, but the coach feels as though his team has had time to get over the loss and get prepared for the next two games.

"Everyone feels that we are capable of turning things around," Del Bosque told Spanish television channel Cuatro.

"Many hours have passed and our spirits are higher. We now have to win our next two games, which won't be easy, but is within the realms of possibility. We are searching for the best possible preparation and we are trying to make sure the players are not sad, we have to enjoy ourselves."

The Spanish side still possesses plenty of talent, but La Roja must find a way to raise their game if they want to avoid a stunningly early exit from the tournament.

Chile, meanwhile, enjoyed a positive start to the competition by securing a 3-1 win over Australia that saw the club net two goals in the opening 15 minutes.

Alexis Sanchez scored in the 12th minute and Eduardo Vargas doubled the lead in the 14th to put Chile in firm control.

Australia pulled a goal back through Tim Cahill in the 35th, but Chile's Jean Beausejour finally killed the match off by scoring late to secure the win.

Viewed as a real threat to advance to the knockout round, Chile can put itself in position to win the group if the team is able to topple Spain, which would send the Spanish home early.

But Chile midfielder Arturo Vidal has his sights set a bit higher.

"We hope to play well against Spain, take the three points, and if we knock them out that would be great," Vidal said. "But we didn't come here to knock out Spain, we came here to win the World Cup."






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