Rio de Janeiro: Spain coach Vicente del Bosque denies his team’s golden era is over after the reigning World and European champions were crushed 0-3 by Brazil in the Confederations Cup final here.
Spain’s heralded possession game was comprehensively picked apart by Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side at the Maracana here, raising doubts about La Roja’s ability to continue its dominance of world football, reports Xinhua.
But Del Bosque insisted the result was not cause for panic, stressing he still had utmost faith in his players.
“We are not happy with this result and we have to analyze it,” Del Bosque said. “We can’t let it just pass by. But we also have to accept that sometimes a team can be better than us on any given day. “We have players of real quality and a style which has been defined over a long period of time. I don’t think we should change that just because of one defeat.”
The 62-year-old said his team was already eyeing its next World Cup qualifier against Finland on September 6.
Brazil not yet World Cup
favourites: Coach
Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari says his team is not yet the favourite to win next year’s football World Cup despite its comprehensive victory over Spain in the Confederations Cup final.
Victory in the World Cup warm-up tournament here guarantees Brazil will rise sharply from their current position of No 22 when the next FIFA rankings are announced, reports Xinhua.
“The result gives us great confidence, because it shows we can match the best teams in the world. But we still have areas where we know we need to improve,” Scolari said during his post-match press conference here at the Maracana.
Scolari did not rule out the possible return of veterans Kaka and Ronaldinho at next year’s World Cup, despite the pair having been overlooked for the Confederations Cup.
“The door is always open for great players,” the 64-year-old said. “We will look at all of our players in Europe and the rest of the world over the next year. They will be well received if and when we call on them. The team is open to all.” (Agencies)