FIFA World Cup
Substitutes Ferran Torres and Mikel Merino came on to great effect, with the latter slotting home the former's pass in the first minute of added time to settle the tight affair at the Dallas Stadium.
“The decisive players were those who came off the bench. I told Merino he should play how he always does. His role is to support the midfielders and the forwards.
"With him, we were thinking about giving the team the rhythm and energy it needed. The players’ impact from the bench has been masterful, but that’s because we have 26 players of a very high level.
"It was a fantastic match - a final played early - and, inevitably, we had to sweat it out until the very end. We put in a complete performance."
Spain's reward is a quarter-final against Belgium, who turned on the style to end co-hosts the United States' campaign with a 4-1 triumph in their last-16 tie and the Spanish tactician is expecting another tough encounter.
"Any opponent you face at this stage will have done enough to deserve being there, and whoever comes next will be an even greater challenge than those we have encountered up to now," he said.
Source: AFP
