Luis de la Fuente reflected on a 3-2 win for Spain against England in the Nations League.
La Roja took a second-minute lead when Lamine Yamal exploited a Marc Guehi mistake, then Ferran Torres had two massive chances to double the advantage in one-on-ones against James Trafford.
England's four-minute comeback
Those missed moments allowed the hosts to bounce back in a furious four-minute spell. Anthony Gordon grabbed the leveller with a swift counterattack, then Harry Kane headed his team in front.
‘There were moments when we had to suffer’
But the World Cup champions have their crown for a reason. De la Fuente threw on Álex Baena, who smartly tucked away an equaliser after Nico O’Reilly turned over the ball, and fellow substitute Mikel Oyarzabal dinked home a finish to complete a flowing sequence that took all three points.
“We’re very happy with the result, with the performance and with showing the world that we have a lot of ambition and a huge desire to win. It’s true that there were moments when we had to suffer. But this is England.
“We talked at half-time. We had the game under control and had three very clear chances. We keep showing that this team never gives up, that we have no intention of stopping winning.
“We conceded England’s two goals in a spell when we lost our focus. They could hurt us and we weren’t able to counter them. Overall, we had the game under control against one of the world’s major powers.
“As for playing with wingers or without wingers, the substitutes can benefit from that later on too.
“The team regained control afterwards. There are many games within a game. We knew how to play each of them and I think we had the match under control against such a powerful opponent.
De la Fuente on his squad depth
“I’m lucky to have these players. Any one of them can come onto the field and be ready. It’s about trying to change things. They have exceptional talent.”
