AUSTRIA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - EURO 2008 - Spain striker Fernando Torres warns his side face a tough challenge after qualifying for Euro 2008 quarter finals

Record ID: 335086

  • Title: AUSTRIA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER - EURO 2008 - Spain striker Fernando Torres warns his side face a tough challenge after qualifying for Euro 2008 quarter finals
  • Date: 16th June 2008
  • Summary: SPANISH MIDFIELDER XABI ALONSO AND DEFENDER SERGIO RAMOS KICKING BALLS / ARAGONES WATCHING VARIOUS OF PLAYERS STRETCHING STRIKER FERNANDO TORRES AND DEFENDER SERGIO RAMOS DOING LEG EXERCISES MIDFIELDER MARCOS SENNA DOING EXERCISES
  • Embargoed: 1st July 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Austria
  • Country: Austria
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVADM9WNUZIIEDMQF6XRKIUXL1ID
  • Story Text: Spain's coach Luis Aragones supervised a training session on Sunday (June 15) the morning after his side's victory over Sweden which led Spain into the Euro 2008 quarter finals.
    But Aragones was not 100 per cent happy with the way his side performed in the 2-1 win. A David Villa goal in injury time sealed the three points for Spain but Aragones felt his side's form dipped during the game.
    "Yes there were 20 minutes that we played football in a way which doesn't interest us," he said at a news conference.
    "By the second half we fixed it. They tried. The truth is that in the first half they had run so much the other team were a bit tired, whereas we demonstrated physical strength. That's one of the things that I liked. We are very fit," he added.
    Spain took the lead against Sweden through Liverpool's Fernando Torres, who told the media that Spain faced tough games in the knockout stage.
    "We are going to have a lot of very similar games, rivals who will know how to play against us. They won't let us play our game and they'll block our best players and we are going to suffer a lot," forecast Torres.
    "So we have to realise these are the games that are awaiting us.
    Against Russia we had a day were everything worked out well but the general feel will be like the one against Sweden, so we have to be prepared."
    In-form Villa now has four goals in two games and one possibility is that he may be rested for Spain's last group game against already eliminated Greece.
    Sweden and Russia, both on three points, will contest the other quarter-final place when they meet on Wednesday.
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