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FIFA World Cup 2018: Spain legend Andres Iniesta retires after loss to Russia

Andres Iniesta announced his retirement from international football on Sunday.

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Spain legend Andres Iniesta announced his retirement from international football on Sunday after La Roja's shocking loss to hosts Russia in the knockout stage of the FIFA World Cup 2018.

Iniesta, the elegant midfielder who was a symbol of Spain's golden generation, retired minutes after the team's loss to Russia in a penalty shootout at the World Cup.

With his precise passes and clever playmaking, Iniesta was a key piece of the Spanish team that dominated soccer not so long ago. But his skills couldn't keep Spain from avoiding another disappointing elimination yesterday the team's third in a row at a major tournament.

"It's a reality that today is my last match with the national team," the hero of Spain's only World Cup championship told reporters at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.

"On a personal level, it's the end of a wonderful phase. Sometimes the endings are not how you dreamed them," the 34-year-old midfielder said, acknowledging his disappointment about losing to underdogs Russia on penalty kicks.

Iniesta, who scored the winning goal in the 2010 World Cup final, had already hinted this would be his final tournament with the national team, and he confirmed his retirement after the last-16 match in Moscow.

Iniesta was surprisingly benched to start the game against Russia, but came on in the second half with the score level at 1-1.

The score remained 1-1 after extra time and Russia went on to win 4-3 on penalties to secure a spot in the quarterfinals.

Iniesta converted Spain's first penalty in the shootout with what was his last ever shot at a World Cup. Jorge "Koke" Resurreccion and Iago Aspas eventually missed their shots and Russia prevailed.

"Overall, this is definitely the saddest day of my career," said Iniesta, who made 131 matches for Spain.

In addition to scoring the World Cup's winning goal in 2010, Iniesta had also been key for Spain when it won the 2008 and 2012 European Championships with its tiki-taka style modeled on Barcelona's ball-possession game.

Earlier this year, Iniesta had already announced his retirement from Barcelona after 16 highly successful seasons with the Spanish club. He later signed with Japanese club Vissel Kobe.

Defender Gerard Pique may also have played his final match with Spain. He had said before the tournament started that he would be retiring after the tournament in Russia.

(With agencies inputs)

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