In a press conference, Luis Enrique acknowledged that Spain lost control in the second half of the match, but urged caution about the sequence of games ahead.
Spain ran into trouble in the final round of the World Cup group stage but secured a place in the round of 16, albeit as runners-up in their group. Goals from Doan and Tanaka, plus a Morata consolation, saw Japan through to the next round, where they will face Croatia on Monday the 5th at 12:00 (Brasilia time).
In the face of that result, La Furia Roja relied on Germany to help them qualify. Shortly after the final whistle, coach Luis Enrique met the press and assessed his side’s performance. Without stoking a sense of panic among the players, the manager admitted the collapse in the second half but called for composure from the squad.
“Nothing happened, five minutes of total loss of control, even panic, and if they had needed to score two more they would definitely have done it. This is a World Cup, and a team like Japan has nothing to lose; they flew past us. The situation came back under control once Japan decided to sit back, they had what they wanted and we tried to manage it as best we could,” he said.
“Japan went ahead, they deserved it, and we… it bothers me because I would have liked to finish first in the group. I would say five minutes. Self-criticism? We will get through the pain tonight, but it has to serve as a warning. We have to show a bit more ruthlessness. I do not have much to celebrate today, honestly,” he added.
It is worth noting that Costa Rica could have advanced. For that to happen, the Central American side would have had to beat Germany. As that did not occur, Spain went through, but were heavily criticised by Marca, the country’s leading sports newspaper.
“Spain flirted with elimination. A painful second half, deeply worrying for the future, has left Luis Enrique’s men in second place in the group. We will face Morocco in the round of 16 on Tuesday at 4pm,” the Spanish publication wrote.
