Spain players disappointed with second-half display, says De la Fuente
Spain kick-started their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign with a convincing 3-0 win over Bulgaria in Sofia on Thursday.
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente said his players were "upset" with their second half display, despite cruising to a 3-0 win against Bulgaria on Thursday.
La Roja plundered all their goals in the first half, as Mikel Oyarzabal – who now ranks joint-second for goal involvements (six) this year in European internationals – netted the first, with Marc Cucurella and Mikel Merino also scoring.
Spain have not lost in a run of 21 games (winning 16 and drawing five), surpassing Julen Lopetegui's run of 20 in 2018 (winning 14 and drawing six) and recording the best unbeaten run since Vicente del Bosque's 26 between 2011 and 2013 (winning 20 and drawing six).
Despite their impeccable record and a dominant first-half performance, De la Fuente insisted he will need more from his players when they face 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 said.
"We are very demanding. The players are the first ones who were upset about the second half.
"I take it game by game and try to balance the efforts. I want to put out the best team on Sunday to compete against Turkey.
"We met the objective, although it is true that we had set out to continue improving for the second half and that the game was brilliant."
Cucurella, who produced the goal of the game with a thunderous left-footed strike, celebrated scoring for the national team for the first time.
"The ball fell to me there, I controlled it and I was lucky," Cucurella said.
"It is a beautiful goal that being my first with the national team. I will never forget it."
