Spain coach Luis de la Fuente: I am proud of this squad! We are happy, but the euphoria is very much under control

Spain could not have had a tougher opponent than Germany in the quarter-finals. However, they managed to win the match when Merino decided the game at the end of extra time. Coach Luis de la Fuente praised his team after the match while saying that the progression celebrations were under control.

• Spain advanced past Germany after winning 2-1 after extra time
• In the semi-finals, they will challenge an equally good France
• Coach Luis de la Fuente spared no praise at the press conference

Spain are the clear favourites to win the European Championship thanks to their performance in the group stage. But in the quarter-finals, they have been given a real challenge in the form of the host country – Germany.

The Germans didn’t play badly either and we saw an early final. There was some beautiful football on show and the goalkeepers on both sides shone. Dani Olmo scored in the 51st minute to give the Spanish the lead and the Germans had to finish.

They finally managed to equalise at the very end of the match thanks to Florian Wirtz and it went into extra time. It looked as if we were going to see penalty kicks, but in the end Mikel Merino decided the game with a beautiful header.

“I am proud of this group, such a dedicated group of players who are an example for our country, for our society and for all the athletes who want to be competitive and want to improve and get better every day,” said the Spanish coach at the press conference.

“Our team has heart and I know it, it has ambition and it wants to be better every day. They never tire of trying to improve and I am proud to coach them,” de la Fuente added.

Spain can celebrate their progress to the semi-finals where they will face an equally strong France. The latter again failed to score against Portugal and in the end it was penalty kicks that decided the game, with Joao Félix missing the only one.

“We are happy, but we know that tomorrow is a different day and tomorrow is a different game. So yes, we are happy, but the euphoria is very much under control,” added the Spain coach, who is probably already working on his tactics for the match.

The match is scheduled for Tuesday, July 9. The other two semi-finalists will be announced on Saturday evening. In the first match England will face Switzerland and in the second the Netherlands will play Turkey.

Source: UEFA EURO 2024