Spain have ‘nothing to celebrate’ despite evading path to Brazil, says Luis Enrique

02-Dec-2022 00:40:51 | The Guardian

Hajime Moriyasu dedicates victory to ‘the people of Japan’
Spain scrape through but Luis Enrique livid at surprise defeat

The Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu said his side’s determination to qualify for the knockout stages of the World Cup meant their “intent manifested as a goal” as their winner was decided by the smallest of margins thanks to the intervention of VAR. The Spain coach Luis Enrique was far from happy, despite a second-placed finish in Group E meaning a potential quarter-final against Brazil is avoided.

The ball had looked out of play to the naked eye when forward Kaoru Mitoma cut back for Ao Tanaka to score in the 51st minute. But VAR technology, aided by a sensor inside the ball, called the play in and Japan complete a three-minute turnaround, coming from a goal down to beat Spain 2-1.