"It was him who had faith in me" - Joselu praises De la Fuente after Spain win

Joselu Mato highlighted the Spanish national team's ability to adapt to the match in Switzerland to end up winning (1-4) on a bad pitch and in the rain, playing with ten men from the 20th minute due to the sending off of Robin Le Normand. "If you have to put on your overalls and rain boots, you put them on. It helped us to be 2-0 up eleven to eleven; then it's difficult to play with ten men for so many minutes, but we showed some grit to get a very creditable result," he said in the mixed zone at the Geneva stadium.

Joselu scored the opener and, in a gesture of gratitude for his confidence, he dedicated it to coach Luis de la Fuente. "It is synonymous with gratitude. He was the one who put his faith on me, we were playing for three important points and he has put his trust in me as a starter. It's a hug because of the relationship we have and our friendship", he acknowledged.

"In the national team, we are all very good. It's difficult to play more. The work of the coach is extraordinary and I'm happy to be here, to contribute and to add. It's a pride to represent your country and any of the 25 would have done the same," he added. The striker also praised the level of players like Aymeric Laporte and himself playing in minor leagues in Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

"These leagues are growing a lot, the pace is not slowing down, I'm playing all the minutes and I've come here very fresh. I'm in a very good moment in my career and I'm looking forward to coming to the national team. We played a great game against a great team like Switzerland. We have to continue like this", he concluded.

 

September 8, 2024