For Spain and their charismatic coach Luis Enrique, it started so well.

They kicked off their campaign in Qatar with a sensational 7-0 rout of Costa Rica as Enrique's team carved out chance after chance in relentless attacks.

It turned out to be a night of stunning records: They completed more passes in the first half than any nation has done in a single World Cup match since 1966. They clinched their biggest ever win in this quadrennial tournament. Their 18-year-old talent Gavi shone on the biggest night of his fledgling career and became the youngest World Cup player to score since Brazil legend Pele in 1958.

"I don't think it was Costa Rica being bad, I think the win was our merit... Our team is too strong and that is the path we need to follow. It was a boost of motivation, for sure," beamed Spain midfielder Dani Olmo after the scintillating triumph.

However, everything went south afterward.

Spain were wasteful in front of the goal and let a lackluster German side fight back to salvage a draw in their second outing. Then they threw away a one-goal lead against Japan and conceded two goals in a six-minute debacle that saw them lose 2-1.

Spain still sneaked into the knockout stages thanks to Germany's disastrous poor results, but in their last-16 encounter with Morocco, they choked again despite dominating the ball. Enrique's players attempted 1,063 passes and recorded 77 percent possession, but only forced the opposition goalkeeper into one save in 120 minutes.

They ended the tie with just one shot on target, which is the lowest they have managed in a World Cup since 1966. They were awful in the penalty shootout and deservedly crashed out after becoming the first nation to lose four World Cup penalty shootouts and just the second side to not score in one.

Spain have now been eliminated in three of their last four games in the round of 16 at the World Cup, and it is now 10 years since they claimed their last major trophy, when they won the European Championship and World Cup in four years.

"We could have been more effective in the final third, but I am more than satisfied with what my players did," observed Enrique, who remained defiant after their shock exit at Qatar 2022. "They represented perfectly what my idea of football is."

All of this begs the question: should Enrique, who took over as Spain coach in the wake of their abysmal 2018 World Cup campaign in Russia, be held responsible for the poor results?

The Spanish Football Federation gave its answer on late Thursday. "We would like to thank Luis Enrique and his entire coaching staff at the helm of the national team in recent years." read a statement. "A new project should start... Both the president, Luis Rubiales, and the sporting director, Jose Francisco Molina, have told the coach their decision to part ways."

Spain had received plaudits for their free-flowing football under legendary tacticians Luis Aragones and Vicente del Bosque in their four-year domination that conquered Europe and the world. Enrique continued the well-crafted ball-possession style throughout his stint at the national team, but unfortunately it hasn't produced the results it once did.

In the absence of a world-class striker, Enrique's obsession with possession proved to be a double-edged sword. His players could dazzle with intricate passes and intelligent off-the-ball movement, but their tendency to give up possession as they built from the back had repeatedly cost them against high-pressing opponents.

Both Japan and Morocco pulled off the incredible upset against Spain with extremely low possession. Their solid defense comfortably kept Enrique's team at bay and limited clear-cut chances. Morocco coach Walid Regragui even admitted afterwards that his plan was to let Spain have the ball. The North African minnows would bide their time and deliver a late sucker punch.

"To the players, who have been exemplary in their behavior and faithful to the idea put before them, I'm sorry I couldn't help you more," lamented Enrique on social media after his dismissal was confirmed. 

Amid all the gloom, Spain still had the third-youngest squad at the World Cup, with Gavi and 20-year-old Pedri showing off their precocious talent in thrilling fashion. And morale-boosting news has emerged that De la Fuente, a resourceful coach that led the Spain Under-21 team to a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, was appointed as Enrique's successor.

The 61-year-old has overseen the growth of many of the young prospects in Spain's current World Cup squad, which would stand him in good stead in an uncertain period. 

But one thing is for sure, Fuente will face immense challenges to change the fortunes of one of the biggest European powerhouses in the world.