Croatia
Indonesia
Nigeria
South Africa

Spain boss Luis Enrique rues second-half penalty miss

sportsmole.co.uk, 19 June 2021, 22:55
Spain boss Luis Enrique admitted his side failed to make the most of a "crucial moment" after seeing a second-half penalty miss prove costly as Poland fought back to draw 1-1 in Seville.

The pressure was on after the hosts could only manage a 0-0 draw with Sweden in their opening Group E fixture despite dominating for large spells.

Spain went ahead in the 25th minute through Alvaro Morata, his close-range effort initially ruled out for offside before that decision was overturned by VAR.

Poland, beaten by Slovakia in St Petersburg on Monday, responded and were deservedly level early in the second half when Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski headed in at the back post.

There was, though, more drama to come when Spain were awarded a penalty after the referee took another look at a challenge by Jakub Moder on Gerard Moreno and pointed to the spot.

Moreno, though, could only send his spot-kick against post and Morata then knocked the rebound wide.

While frustrated at not taking all three points, Spain still have qualification in their own hands, needing to beat Slovakia, who were beaten by Sweden on Friday night.

"We probably tried too hard and overdid things instead of creating clear-cut opportunities," Enrique said at a press conference.

"Missing the penalty was a pity because it was at an absolutely crucial moment.

"I thought we would be able to impose ourselves more - but we couldn't.

"Perhaps we were the dominant team and if it was a boxing match, we would have won on points."

Enrique added: "We wanted to play better and give the fans something to shout about, but you have to recognise the great defensive work Poland did.

"They closed down a lot of the avenues we would usually use, they stopped our transitions and pressed us high, so it was a tough game.

"But a draw leaves us with the chance of winning the group if we beat Slovakia.

"It will be a crunch game and we need to win it if we want to get through."

Poland coach Paulo Sousa praised the efforts of Lewandowski, who scored a record 41 Bundesliga goals this season.

"For a striker like him, who is the best goalscorer at this time in the world, goals are vital to keep a good mood," Sousa said.

"We want to feed him with opportunities to score goals, but he also creates space for others, helping the team.

"He is a player who is leading in different ways to make sure we can be happy with good results and go through the group phase."

Sousa added: "If we can play against one of the best teams in the world like we played today, and we can play like that every day, then we could be much more closer to win more matches."

Poland captain Lewandowski felt his side had earned a share of the points.

"We knew against Spain that we would be more focused on defence, and we did it quite well. It simply worked out," Lewandowski said on www.Euro2020.com.

"We will not be favourites against Sweden, they have very good players and it will be very tough, but we will be prepared.

"This game against Spain has definitely given us a lot."

Top News

22 December 2024 talksport.com Kylian Mbappe struck a landmark effort to put himself firmly among Real Madrid's elite. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has insisted that he is "absolutely happy" with his side's goalless draw at Everton on Sunday. 22 December 2024 talksport.com If you thought Mohamed Salah couldn't set yet another record, think again. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk For a second time in successive Gulf Cup competitions, The United Arab Emirates and Kuwait will meet in the group stage, with this upcoming game taking place on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Amad International Stadium in Kuwait City. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayer Leverkusen defender Jeremie Frimpong is supposedly not a 'concrete target' for Liverpool amid speculation over Trent Alexander-Arnold's future. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid moved into second spot in the La Liga table courtesy of a 4-2 success over Sevilla in Sunday afternoon's contest at Bernabeu, with Los Blancos ending 2024 on a high note. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Oman and Qatar will compete in the Gulf Cup for the first time in over a decade on Tuesday at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium, each seeking their first victory in this edition of the tournament. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk New Wolverhampton Wanderers' boss Vitor Pereira earned three points when his side comfortably beat Ruud van Nistelrooy's Leicester City 3-0 away from home on Sunday afternoon in the Premier League. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Aaron Ramsdale was spotted wearing a modified goalkeeper glove in Southampton's Premier League clash at Fulham. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea squandered the chance to go top of the Premier League table for a couple of hours as Everton held the Blues to a goalless stalemate at Goodison Park. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Djed Spence has been named in the Tottenham Hotspur starting XI for their Premier League clash with Liverpool, while Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo get the nod up front for the visitors. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Manchester United were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth in a defeat that saw Ruben Amorim's side achieve an unwanted record. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Gary Neville believes that Ruben Amorim will allow Marcus Rashford to leave Manchester United for the sake of 'himself and the club'. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Pep Guardiola isn't immune from the sack at Manchester City having continued their unprecedented and dismal run of form. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have reportedly earmarked Leeds United shot-stopper Illan Meslier as one of two goalkeeper targets ahead of the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly identified Burnley's James Trafford as their top transfer target for the January transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Paris Saint-Germain defender Nuno Mendes has reportedly indicated he will take time to consider his future before he commits to a new contract. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Eddie Howe will be nervous about holding onto star striker Alexander Isak at Newcastle as his fine goalscoring form continues. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has named his starting side for Sunday's Premier League clash with Bournemouth at Old Trafford. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Enzo Maresca has opted to use Levi Colwill as a replacement for the suspended Marc Cucurella for Sunday's Premier League game at Everton. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal broke an English football record in their 5-1 Premier League thrashing of Crystal Palace on Saturday, but it came at a significant cost, as Bukayo Saka was taken off with a suspected hamstring problem in the first half. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea forward Christopher Nkunku is allegedly generating interest from at least five clubs. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona reportedly remain fully behind head coach Hansi Flick despite the team's latest title setback against Atletico Madrid on Saturday night. 22 December 2024 talksport.com Southampton's new head coach Ivan Juric is one not to be messed with as his physical scrap with Torino's sporting director showed. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Seeking to pick up a third straight home win in the Primeira Liga, Vitoria de Guimaraes play host to Nacional at the Estadio Dom Afonso Henriques on Monday. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim is reportedly looking for the Red Devils to build a new scouting team in Portugal in a bid to unearth the next Cristiano Ronaldo. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona head coach Hansi Flick is reportedly not interested in signing Manchester United attacker Alejandro Garnacho during next summer's transfer window. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool must take advantage of Tottenham Hotspur's considerable weaknesses and will be confident of victory on Sunday according to Reds expert David Lynch. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk The January transfer window is almost here and clubs around the UK and Europe are lining up moves as they look to take advantage of the opportunity to strengthen. 22 December 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Union Saint-Jean vs. Monaco (Sunday, 1.45pm) On Sunday, in a David vs. Goliath affair, Union Saint-Jean can pull off one of the biggest upsets in Coupe de France history when they take on Monaco in the round of 64 at Stadium de Toulouse.