Incredulous and glassy-eyed Luis Enrique followed the horrible penalty shootout in Spain. As was the case throughout the round of 16 match against Morocco, none of their players managed to get past Bono. Penalties were again a sentence for the team, as they were in the previous World Cup (eighth) and in the Eurocup (semifinals). On this occasion, the Asturian coach sang the mea culpa. He didn't want to make excuses. Neither football has been cruel with the red nor the shots from eleven meters are a lottery.
“The responsibility is mine. I picked all three pitchers and I would do it again. Only the one who throws it fails. The rest of the pitchers I left it to them, depending on how they felt... but we didn't even get to a fourth. Bono is spectacular in terms of penalties, with a high success rate. He was superb, ”he admitted to the press with a smile.
Luis Enrique was frustrated, but wanted to send a message of sportsmanship. “We are representatives of a country and we must know how to congratulate the winner. They played their game and it went well. Mine have to learn to lose regardless of deserving it or not. In life you don't always win. We congratulate Morocco and wish them the best. We're going home."
The coach said he was "proud" of his players. “They did everything I asked. Even if they are annoyed, I can only congratulate them. And I am sorry for those who have not been able to participate, I take this with me”. Regarding the game, he highlighted the difficulty of finding the Moroccan goal against a good defense. “We tried it by land, sea and air. We made a beastly physical effort. It was very difficult for us to generate chances for them. Soccer is a sport in which a team can win without attacking. I am extremely sorry for the fans," he lamented.
Luis Enrique knows that the critics will not wait. The sticks have been constant even when the results accompanied. A victory in four games in Qatar – since Spain became world champion in 2010 they have only won three games in the World Cup: Australia, Iran and Costa Rica – leaves his future in the air. His contract ended after the World Cup and his continuity is not guaranteed.
"I have more exits than the subway," he ironized when asked about this issue. "This is not the time to value it. Now I want to go back and see my dogs and my people. Next week we will speak with the president (Luis Rubiales), I care zero right now. We have to assimilate the disappointment and take it from the best way," he concluded.
Nor did the sports director, José Francisco Molina, provide more details. "This is not the time to talk hotly. In the next few days we will talk and we will make the decisions that have to be made. Luis Enrique has done a good job in these four years. We have to decide our part and he his".
