Vicente del Bosque acknowledged Spain were below par in losing to Slovakia but felt the 2-1 defeat was a harsh outcome.
Miroslav Stoch’s late goal condemned La Roja to a first qualification defeat since 2006, a fact pointed out by the Coach when speaking to reporters.
“I didn’t expect this result. It’s unexpected. We pressed but we haven’t had a great game,” he said, AS reports.
“We should have scored more goals but the counter-attack has been lethal to us.
“This is football. We can’t have any complaints against the players. We had patience but we weren’t successful and their goalkeeper was outstanding.”
Del Bosque was questioned about the substitutes he introduced and if it was a good idea to sacrifice defenders for attackers.
“We tried to go on the attack and refresh. We had no need for players back in defence, so we made the changes,” he argued.
“Pedro was brought on for speed, Alcacer to have another player in their penalty area and Cazorla for the quality of his deliveries into the box.”
Diego Costa’s performance was also raised as the Chelsea striker continues to go without a goal for Spain, winning his sixth cap on Thursday night.
“He’s playing with a lot of enthusiasm and we are happy with his performances,” del Bosque insisted.
“It was the whole team that struggled. No one likes to lose.”
Del Bosque did though warn against making snap judgements of the team, pointing to the past excellent qualification record.
“It’s the first defeat in 28 qualifiers. We were drawing but right at the end, we leave without a point,” he said.
“I think we deserved at least a draw. I don’t think we’re in a negative run of form.”
