"We should cherish the value of qualifying, even if it has been costly"

Mikel Oyarzabal, scorer of two of Spain's three goals against the Netherlands in the second leg of the quarterfinals of the Nations League, said that “we should give value to go through” to the final four of the tournament, after beating an opponent “of the highest level” in the penalty shootout.

“The Netherlands is a great team with very good players, of the highest level, who do not make things easy for you. We have to give value to getting through, even though it was difficult. We all would have liked it to have been easier, but the important thing is that we have done it and that we are all important in the squad,” he said.

Oyarzabal had been substituted before the end of the match and was unable to take a penalty after scoring a brace. “The penalty shootout is much worse from the outside. Unai has been very good, these are things that goalkeepers work on. We had full confidence in him, we knew he was going to save some; and also in the penalty takers,” he said on ‘Teledeporte’.

Spain will face France in the semifinal. “Both Croatia and France are two great rivals,” said the Real Sociedad striker.

“In the last Nations League we played against Croatia in the final and we played against France in the European Championship. The important thing is that we are ourselves and that we get to that moment well,” added Oyarzabal.