Spain's coach stresses ambition and unity after 3-0 win over Croatia

Berlin, Jun 15 (EFE).- With a resounding 3-0 victory over Croatia in their first game of the European Championship, the 2008 and 2012 champions dispelled any doubts anyone might have had and put on a great show at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.

Goals were scored by Álvaro Morata of Atlético de Madrid in the 29th minute, by Fabián Ruiz of Paris Saint-Germain three minutes later and by Dani Carvajal of Real Madrid at the end of the first half.

In a more even second half, Spain goalkeeper Unai Simón made a fine save from Marcelo Brozović's 11-meter shot, but Croatia's Bruno Petković scored immediately afterward, only to have the goal disallowed due to Ivan Perišić's interference. (Camera: JOSÉ MANZANEQUE).

FOOTAGE SHOWS THE PRESS CONFERENCE GIVEN BY THE COACH OF THE SPANISH NATIONAL TEAM, LUIS DE LA FUENTE, AFTER THE 3-0 WIN OVER CROATIA AT THE OLYMPIASTADION IN BERLIN, GERMANY.

SOUND BITES: LUIS DE LA FUENTE, THE COACH OF THE SPANISH NATIONAL TEAM (IN SPANISH).

TRANSLATION:

-Very happy, but above all for all the people who have worked on our team; it's wonderful. Above all, for the players, because they are a group that is insatiable in their work, insatiable in their desire to improve, and ambitious to keep growing. The coaching staff is wonderful; they are the best in the world, and I am lucky to have them by my side. And with the whole group around us, we form a big family, so I have been very happy for all of them. Of course, for all the Spaniards who are proud of us today, we keep our feet on the ground. We know what it's like to start very well; it's an important boost to our morale, which gives us security and peace of mind. But in five days' time, we have another very important match against Italy, and as soon as I finish attending to all of you, we will be thinking about Italy. And I believe that this is the path we have to follow with prudence, with calm, with joy, of course, but with calm. We still have a long way to go, thank God, but calmly and by keeping our feet on the ground.

-Well, we'll see. I'm very calm and happy about the commitment of all the players. I think we have a very high level in all positions; we presented a list with two or three players per position, plus three more versatile players. That was a bit of a way to build this squad, but I am very happy with the four specific central defenders we have. Whether it's Nacho, Laporte, Vivian or Robin, I'm very calm; whichever one of them plays gives me total and absolute guarantees. Today they all played a great game, especially Robin and Nacho, but surely for the next game, if we consider it appropriate for another one to play, I'm sure they will also do very well. Because the truth is that we are fortunate to have an exceptional level in all positions.