The echo of the Municipal de Braga magnified the collective cry after the goal of Morata. Spain is a team always in question, the players know it, so each feat of this type, and there are already a few with Luis Enrique, causes the ties between the internationals to become stronger. The companions squeezed the striker eagerly and continued the party in the locker room while the stadium fell silent. The defeat against Switzerland had left a very bitter aftertaste, and everything that had not been to beat Portugal would have made the situation worse. Now, although it is still a long way off, he is even facing the World Cup in a different way.
It was Luis Enrique, once again, who took the lead to explain the sensations of the selection after this last minute classification. “Soccer is a wonderful sport in which victory is the best antidote to any depression or state of sadness,” he said euphorically before the microphones of Spanish Television. “It is a great joy. The ending has been wonderful. It is a constant in my stage as a coach. We never have it easy.”
More slowly, the Asturian explained the keys to the brutal change of the team between the first half, absolutely inane, and the second, where the team’s game became much more vertical. There he had to sing the mea culpa: «The objective was to clearly take the ball away from Portugal. We got it but we forgot to dig deep. Perhaps in the previous talk I conditioned my players not to take risks. At the break we told them that it was very good, but that we had to attack and put the rival in trouble. From there the second part has been completely different.
The party left several main protagonists. The first of them, Morata, author of another decisive goal. “We have made a great effort. We knew that when we have to measure up in games like this, we do it.” “The attackers don’t usually finish the games with me because they have brutal wear and tear. But he has a physical level of another level. He gives us a lot », valued Luis Enrique, reiterative in praising the scorer.
It was a great day for Unai Simón too. The saves of him, including a heads-up Cristiano Ronaldo, also prevented the sign of the party from being another. “Doubts are from outsiders. There will always be criticism, but we know the football we have. We were confident that we would come out of here classified. We knew it was going to be difficult, but it was possible.”
The last proper name was Nico Williams. The Athletic winger was showered with praise from his teammates. «Nico has been differential. He has changed the pace of the match with the stride and the punch that he has », said Rodri. “In the goal it has been key, I only had to push it,” Morata said. And the boy, happy. “For me it is an honor to be here. I am growing as a player and as a person. Hopefully I can be in the World Cup.”
Spain has two months ahead until the appointment of Qatar. For Luis Enrique, a defeat would not have changed the perception of his team, but he admits that he prefers to arrive at the tournament this way: “This victory gives us peace of mind regarding the environment, which is always trying to take advantage of its opportunity. But nothing changes.”
