(Reuters) – Spain’s coach Luis de la Fuente expressed his delight at the “exceptional” growth his team has shown in recent months, following their 1-0 victory over Norway on Sunday that secured their qualification for Euro 2024 in Germany.
After being eliminated in the round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar, leading to the dismissal of coach Luis Enrique, Spain suffered a 2-0 defeat against Scotland in March. This raised doubts about De la Fuente’s future as coach, despite it being only his second game in charge.
However, since that defeat, Spain has won four consecutive qualifying matches, scoring 16 goals and keeping three clean sheets in their last three games. Additionally, they emerged victorious in the Nations League held in June.
“I’m happy because I think the team has experienced exceptional growth. We now have a united and cohesive team that excites us for the future,” De la Fuente told reporters.
De la Fuente further added, “Learning is a continuous process. We learn a lot from both challenging situations and positive ones as well. We have made the necessary corrections and understood what needed to be changed.”
Defender Dani Carvajal acknowledged the difficulties of qualifying for the Euros, stating, “It was never easy, especially this time after our defeat in Scotland. We also had a new coach, and suddenly, many people started doubting us.”
“But we managed to overcome those doubts and rise above,” Carvajal added.
Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford
