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Cesar Azpilicueta responds to accusations that Spain attempted to eliminate Germany with Japan’s defeat.
Cesar Azpilicueta is convinced that Spain didn’t slack off in their defeat to Japan, insisting they gave it their all to get a result.
When Spain took the lead 11 minutes into their final group stage game, they appeared to be cruising to a comfortable finish atop their World Cup group.
To make up for it, Japan scored twice in the first three minutes of the second half to take the lead.
After that, La Roja was unable to mount a comeback, which resulted in Japan finishing first in the group and eliminating Germany.
It has been suggested Spain took their foot off the gas with qualification a near certainty, letting Japan back into the contest and perhaps ensuring Germany, a potential rival for the World Cup, didn’t make it to the round of 16.
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However, Azpilicueta refuted claims that Spain didn’t give it their best, pointing to Costa Rica’s two-minute stretch during which they had passed La Roja in the standings as grounds for concern.
“I was aware in the second half [of the Germany score]; I was on the bench so I was aware of the situation,” Azpilicueta said.
“If they look at our group the last couple of years we always give everything and we go out of the pitch to win every game, to press every ball.
“We have been punished from just scoring a goal and then conceding straight away so that’s the way we play. We are the first disappointed to not win the game so you can see what happened.”
Furthermore, he emphasized that Spain concentrated on earning at least a draw because they knew that would ensure their advancement.
“It was difficult because it is something that you cannot control, the other game, so the only thing we could do was to try to give confidence and to help our teammates to win our game. We knew that with a draw or a win we would qualify. That’s the only thing we could control,” Azpilicueta added.