Spanish King, Prime Minister Support National Team After Defeat at World Cup

MADRID (Sputnik) - Spanish King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez addressed Spain’s players to support them after their defeat in the round of 16 match against Russia at the FIFA World Cup on Sunday.

Spain lost 4-3 on penalties to the host nation after the match finished 1-1 after extra time. Following the game, King Felipe VI, who attended the match alongside Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and FIFA President Gianni Infantino, entered the team’s dressing room to express his support to the players.

READ MORE: Russia Makes History by Crushing Spain 4-3 During Penalty Shootout

Prime Minister Sanchez, in his turn, addressed the team on Twitter.

Habéis ilusionado a un país entero durante semanas. Esta vez no ha podido ser, pero estoy seguro de que volveremos a hacerlo. Todo mi apoyo a la @SeFutbol. 💪🏼🇪🇸

— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) July 1, 2018

​“You were making the whole country happy for several weeks. This time it didn’t work out, but I am sure we will make it again. My support goes to the Spanish national team,” Sanchez wrote.

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After Sunday’s victory, Russia advanced to the last eight for the first time and will face Croatia on July 7 while Spain were eliminated from the tournament.

Spain defender Sergio Ramos said that his side's loss to Russia was a "severe blow" for the whole team. "Today's match was the hardest. You can lose in different ways in football, but we are coming home with our heads high. We did everything possible against Russia's great team, who showed an excellent physical shape. We lacked luck but, as a captain, I'm proud of my team. We should pass through this defeat, which will make us stronger. We should keep our heads high after this severe blow," Ramos told journalists.

The defender also said that Russia’s only chance to defeat Spain was on penalties, and they seized their opportunity. “The team did everything possible, we were eager to redeem ourselves as a national team. We couldn’t do any more. We left our souls on the pitch and played with pride. We gave everything. They took us to penalties, which was the only way they could cause us problems. We had possession of the ball, but penalties are a lottery, and we lost,” Ramos said, as quoted by Football Espana news website.

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Ramos won the World Cup with Spain in 2010, as well as the 2008 and 2012 European championships.

“End of an era? Hopefully not. We have a team who can keep dreaming. Despite the criticism and doubts in the group stage, we redeemed ourselves today. There will be players who come back and others who leave, but they’ll always have this pride,” Ramos added.