Spain coach Luis de la Fuente refused to get carried away after his side’s impressive 3-0 win over Austria sent them to the World Cup last 16 on Thursday, insisting there was still plenty of room for improvement and warning that «satisfaction can kill».
Spain, who are yet to concede a goal in the tournament, produced a dominant display as Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice and Pedro Porro once to underline his status as one of the favourites.
«I have many reasons to be happy today. First of all, thanks to the victory, we won significantly and the image of the team was fantastic,» De la Fuente told reporters. «But there is still room for improvement. You may think you have seen the best of us, but this team has not yet reached its potential. There is still more to do.»
De la Fuente said Spain’s progress was based on a long-term process and not on one standout performance, and stressed that the knockout rounds would require even higher standards.
“Today’s performance should be the foundation for what comes next,” he said. “We are going to continue to improve and do things better… We are not satisfied yet, we are going for more.”
De la Fuente warned against believing Spain had reached their peak after another impressive defensive performance in which Austria failed to register a shot on target.
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«There were situations where we didn’t have high pressure. You have to keep improving all the time,» he said. «If you get flattered and believe it, you become weaker. Contentment can kill you.»
The 65-year-old was full of praise for his left-back Marc Cucurella, who provided Oyarzabal with two assists and called him “invaluable” and “a top player”.
“The next phase will become increasingly demanding,” De la Fuente added. “We have great players, but the only focus is to exceed our own expectations.”
Published on July 3, 2026
