Despite Georgia's opening goal, Spain coach Luis de la Fuente was in no doubt as to which team would progress to the European Championship quarter-finals after their 4-1 win in Cologne on Sunday evening.
You can't control the game the whole time, said De la Fuente. "The opponents are good and can also score goals. But we kept a cool head," emphasized the coach, whose team fell 1-0 behind in the 18th minute despite having the upper hand.
"We knew that the danger came from counter-attacks, but they hadn't scored once before the opening goal and they scored through an own goal," De la Fuente also noted. "Apart from a few minutes, we had full control of the game."
After this brief moment of nervousness, "we created a lot of chances and could have won the game 8:1", said the 63-year-old, who succeeded Luis Enrique as national team coach in December 2022 after Spain's exit in the last 16 of the World Cup.
When asked how many chances Lamine Yamal, who is 16 years and 11 months old and has yet to score at this European Championship, missed against Georgia, De la Fuente admitted that Yamal "could have been calmer in some moments. He played an excellent game, but he can still improve. He's learning and gaining experience at a very young age and with very good players around him."
Olmo is looking forward to the clash against Germany
Meanwhile, Spain's attacking midfielder Dani Olmo was particularly looking forward to the quarter-final against hosts Germany. "It will be special. I have friends there and I play in that country," said the 26-year-old, who has been under contract with RB Leipzig since 2020. "It's very exciting. It will definitely be a very special encounter for me."
His coach expects a "duel at eye level" in Stuttgart on Friday, in which small things could be the deciding factor. "We're up against a footballing powerhouse," said De la Fuente about the German team, who have "great players" and play in a very disciplined manner. "The next game could also be the final."
The last time the two teams met was at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Back then, they drew 1-1 in the preliminary round. Both teams are still unbeaten at the European Championship in Germany. That will definitely change in the knockout clash.
SDA
