Fernando Hierro picked to unite factions after Spain’s ‘Saipan’

Irish football fans won’t have had too much trouble coming up with a comparison for 24 hours which saw World Cup challengers Spain come close to total meltdown just two days before their opening Group B game against Portugal in Sochi.

It all seemed to be going so smoothly as La Roja flew through qualification under new coach Julen Lopetegui, winning nine and drawing one of their 10 games, scoring 36 goals, while conceding just three.

A 1-1 draw at defending world champions Germany and 6-1 hammering of Argentina in March’s friendlies led to huge optimism ahead of this summer’s competition.