Luis Enrique: “Whـat Pedri did, no one had done before, not even Iniesta”

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The Spanish team was eliminated from the semifinals of the European Cup after losing to Italy on penalties, after regulation time ended in a positive draw with a goal. Luis Enrique knew how to form a team of young people and take them to advanced stages in the tournament and was close to playing the final match.

After the match, Luis Enrique, coach of the Spanish team, appeared at a press conference and was satisfied with the performance of his team, which fought to the end, as he described it. We were superior against Italy and we did not win the small details before reaching the penalty shootout ”.

And he added: After nine years of crossing the desert, Spain is back. One team tried harder than the other. They were eager to get to the penalty shootout. Now we have to analyze the details. ”

He continued: “For the next World Cup we have veterans and mature youngsters who will give us a lot of happiness. The team gave us a round of applause because they did a great job. There are many people in Spain who are proud of their team. I thanked Morata and hugged him for letting us dream. The Italians were eager to get to the penalty shoot-out and we were able to play for half an hour more ”.

On the players who cried after the defeat, Enrique said: “We should be proud of what we saw. They were all great, as were some who played. They have given us a lot. We were going to put together a team that the fans could be proud of and we succeeded. I don’t know why they cry, in football you have to win and lose. Players get bored but you have to learn to deal with defeat. The opponent won and you have to teach the young people that when you lose there is no need to cry, you have to get up ”.

And about the criticism that he is being subjected to, he replied: “Critics? This is professional football. Sanctions? There were six players and I asked them to do it. I told them not to worry about failure. ”

Enrique ended his speech by praising Pedri González, saying: “Dani Olmo played a great game and he was extraordinary. But has anyone seen what Pedri did ?! An 18-year-old boy? I’ve never seen anyone do something like him, not even Iniesta, it’s not natural. “