Spain Players Express Disappointment Over Second Half Performance Despite 3-0 Victory Against Bulgaria

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Spain's head coach, Luis de la Fuente, expressed dissatisfaction with his team's second-half performance despite their 3-0 victory over Bulgaria. All goals were scored in the first half, with Mikel Oyarzabal, Marc Cucurella, and Mikel Merino finding the net. Oyarzabal's goal involvement this year in European internationals now stands at six, placing him joint-second.

Spain has extended their unbeaten streak to 21 matches, surpassing Julen Lopetegui's previous record of 20 games in 2018. This run includes 16 wins and five draws. The current streak is the longest since Vicente del Bosque's 26-game unbeaten run from 2011 to 2013. Despite this impressive record, De la Fuente emphasized the need for improvement against Turkiye on Sunday.

"In the second half, we lacked freshness, but that is normal at this stage of the season. Sunday will be different," De la Fuente stated. "We are very demanding. The players are the first ones who were upset about the second half."

De la Fuente acknowledged that while they achieved their objective, there is room for improvement in future matches. He aims to field a competitive team against Turkey by balancing efforts and taking each game as it comes. "I want to put out the best team on Sunday to compete against Turkey," he added.

Marc Cucurella celebrated his first goal for Spain with a powerful left-footed strike. Reflecting on his achievement, Cucurella said, "The ball fell to me there, I controlled it and I was lucky. It is a beautiful goal that being my first with the national team. I will never forget it."

Despite a brilliant first-half display against Bulgaria, De la Fuente remains focused on continuous improvement. He highlighted that while they met their objectives for this match, there is still work to be done in maintaining high performance throughout entire games.

As Spain prepares for their upcoming match against Turkey, De la Fuente's focus remains on refining strategies and ensuring players are ready to deliver consistent performances across both halves of future games.