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Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez has admitted he was offered the 'chance' to become Spain 's new national team manager for the World Cup , following the dismissal of Julen Lopetegui .
Lopetegui was announced as Real Madrid 's new manager, just weeks after signing a contract extension with the Spanish FA, to replace Zinedine Zidane , leaving his boss in the national set-up furious.
As a result he was unceremoniously sacked on the eve of the tournament in Russia, leaving Spain managerless less than 48 hours before their opening game with Iberian rivals Portugal.
Show all 22 1 /22Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings <b>Spain:</b> David De Gea - 6 out of 10 Could do little for the penalty which was conceded by poor defence in front of him
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Nacho - 6 out of 10 In from the start ahead of Dani Carvajal, and had little to do defensively, made way for Carvajal in the second half
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Gerard Pique - 6 out of 10 Gave away the penalty with a needless handball, and struggled against the height of the Russians at set pieces
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Sergio Ramos - 6 out of 10 Alongside Pique, looked less than comfortable with the height of Artem Dzyuba
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Jordi Alba - 6 out of 10 Had less impact on the game than he normally would, often made sharp runs forward that were missed by his teammates
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Koke - 5 out of 10 Similarly to Busquets he often chooses a sideways pass, must try harder to get in behind an ageing Russian defence. Suffered the ignominy of having his penalty saved by Akinfeev.
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Sergio Busquets - 6 out of 10 His more defensive style worked well in terms of possession, but often passes to the side or short instead of looking further forward
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Marco Asensio - 6 out of 10 Given the chance from the offing, but unable to really penetrate the defence and link with Costa, in order to showcase his talent
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings David Silva - 7 out of 10 Linked well with Isco, but one of many that needs to look forward and link more with Diego Costa left on his own upfront
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Isco - 7 out of 10 The new star of this Spanish team, always available for a pass and has the ability to beat players with ease
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Diego Costa - 6 out of 10 Easy to feel sorry for the former Chelsea man, who is at odds with the tika taka style, made good runs but ignored by his teammates who chose to pass sideways
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings <b>Russia:</b> Igor Akinfeev - 8 out of 10 Could do nothing for the own goal, after being completely wrong-footed, and had little to do until his moment to shine in the shootout as he saved from Koke and Iago Aspas.
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Ilya Kutepov - 6 out of 10 Solid in defence, and cleared several balls early in the second half before they could reach the lurking Diego Costa
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Sergei Ignashevich - 6 out of 10 Made no attempt to get the ball, only to wrestle with Sergio Ramos for his own goal. Poor, but his vast experience at 39 years old helped him through the half.
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Fedor Kudryashov - 7 out of 10 Dealt well with the relentless Spanish possession despite their lack of real penetration to get in behind the defence
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Figueira Fernandes - 7 out of 10 Spent much of the game pressuring the Spanish tika taka possession, but tried to get forward in attack too when given a chance
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Daler Kuzyaev - 7 out of 10 Industrial and no-nonsense defending, got behind the ball and dealt well with the constant Spanish pressure. Gave everything for his team.
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Roman Zobnin - 7 out of 10 Hard worker and had plenty to do up against the likes of David Silva and Isco. Conceded possession but ensured they didn’t advance upfield.
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Yuri Zhirkov - 6 out of 10 He was the villain early on giving the free kick away, which Spain eventually scored from. Grew into the game and didn’t let it affect his performance
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Aleksandr Samedov - 6 out of 10 Hard working, and used his experience to frustrate Spain, whilst also looking to break up play and set Russia off on the counter
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Aleksandr Golovkin - 7 out of 10 Quick, nimble and skilful, he is one of the most comfortable in possession for Russia, and tried to linked with Dzyuba
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Spain vs Russia World Cup player ratings Artem Dzyuba - 8 out of 10 The key man for Russia, his height and power gave them an outlet regardless of the amount of possession Spain had
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Fernando Hierro stepped in to coach the 2010 winners but saw his side go out on penalties to hosts Russia in the second round.
However, Benitez has now revealed it could have been him leading La Roja this summer, although he insisted he remains happy staying at Newcastle.
"There was maybe a chance," Benitez said. "But still I am here and I am happy to be here. I still feel young so I have plenty of time to do that.
"Spain I think are a very good team and they will be better in the future."
Spain turned to former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique to take the reins after their World Cup disappointment.
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