Gerard Pique trotted into the 18-yard box and toward the back of his own net, his head down and a look of defeat across his face. Having been stormed past by Jeremain Lens, he'd fallen to the ground and trailed the play, watching helplessly as Arjen Robben burnt scorch marks into the Arena Fonte Nova's turf before burying a shot into the top-right corner.
By the time Pique arrived in the box, the scoreboard read Netherlands 5-1 Spain. Somehow, though, it felt even worse than that; it felt like 8-1. Or 10-1. In just 79 minutes, La Roja had conceded almost as many goals as they had in their previous 19 games at major tournaments—the defence breached, an empire toppled.