For Barcelona fans -- and the style that Spain have adopted is, with Xavi Hernandez at the heart of it all, very much Barcelona's style -- there was an even more recent and equally painful example: Barcelona's defeat against Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan in the Champions League semifinal.
Because, like Barcelona, while Spain were dominant, they were also wasteful and worryingly toothless. There were few genuinely clear chances. Of Spain's 23 shots, only eight were on target. David Villa looked a little flat, midfielder Sergio Busquets lacked fluidity, and even Xavi was unable to find the passes he normally does. As one commentator put it: "even Casillas seems not to be a Saint any more".