After Spain and Germany were held to a draw, Luis Enrique considered the broader picture, happy that La Roja will enter their final World Cup Group E encounter as the group’s leading team.
Spain appeared to be headed for a second victory in as many group games before Alvaro Morata’s second-half goal. A win would have guaranteed Spain’s position in the round of 16.
Despite having more possession of the ball than Germany on Sunday, Germany’s chances resulted in a higher expected goals (xG) total of 1.1 as opposed to 0.57, indicating that Hansi Flick’s team generated more opportunities.
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Even if they may have been in even better form after playing Germany, Spain still leads the group with four points, and Luis Enrique is content with that situation.
“In theory this was the group of death,” he told La 1. “If after the draw we’d been told that after the first two matches we’d be the leaders of the group and we depend only on ourselves, I would have signed for that.”
Adding in his post-match press conference, he said: “A draw against Japan is enough, but we’re not going to speculate.
“Yes, it’s a pity, the result, but we have to be happy because we are leaders in this group of death.
“When the draw came out everyone was mesmerised by the quality, it was the group that drew gasps.
