Mario: A great day

Mario Gaspar hailed his Spain debut as a ‘great day’ after the Villarreal defender scored the only goal of the win over Ukraine.

The victory in Kiev capped La Roja’s Euro 2016 qualification as Vicente Del Bosque’s much-changed side maintain the team’s winning run.

“It was a dream to debut and to do it with a win and to get the goal, it has been a great day,” Mario said post-match, Marca reports.

“This is a great group [of players]. I felt one of them from the beginning and I am very grateful.

“I saw Thiago [Alcantara] reach the byline and that the left-back had moved to the centre, so there was a free space. [The cross] reached my head and so I tried to score from there.”

Mario added his voice to the chorus hailing Spain’s young players but admitted he can’t yet be sure of a place in France next year.

“We should take advantage [of the young players] along with the generation of champions. That could be a good mix,” he continued.

“I’ve only had one game. I have to do things right at my club and if I come back [to the national team], I’ll be delighted.”

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