The coach of the Albanian national team, Sylvio Mendes Campos Júnior, has given a press statement after Albania's defeat against Spain, in a 0-1 result. Sylvinho expressed his pride for the boys of the national team and for Albania:

"I am proud of my players, of my country. It's the second time we play in this competition, I've said it before. I am really happy for the country, the federation, all the fans. I lived in Tirana, I am the first coach who lived in Tirana for a year and a half, I discovered many good players and I agree with you that people can assume that Italy could score 3 goals, Croatia 3-4 and Spain 5 goals. But we appreciated the work we did, not only did we do tactical work but we also had confidence. We believed that we can compete against the three big teams, against the teams that go to the semi-finals and finals", he said.

Furthermore, the coach underlined the fact that Spain has very good and fast players:

"Spain has very good, fast players who can hit and score goals. We have seen transitions of the game, videos of them. They are fast and have players who get to the goal quickly. They have technical skills. They are a team that can defend very well, they have a perfect line of four defenders, they close very well. play in transition. It is a team that is really ready to win anything. I think he is one of the favorites to win this competition".

The coach said what we all think about the difficulty of the group in which Albania aimed to be. The grouping in front of Italy, Croatia and Spain was also described as the "group from hell", because of the history that these countries have in the European and world championships.

"The draw was more difficult, a difficult group, we were not used to playing in these competitions. So we have had a significant number of young players who are very promising. I hope they will be in the national team for the next 10 years. We have a consolidated team", he said.

Then, Sylvinho confessed that he spent many sleepless nights, but he dreamed of all the highlights of Albania in this competition:

"I spent many sleepless nights, but I dreamed of these moments, how to score against Croatia, against organized Italy or Spain, which is great. We spent hours without sleep but it was worth it because we managed to compete. We were dignified on the field and we have no regrets. Our country is proud of us, we must get used to such competitions, play at high levels, we must improve", he said.

"It seemed unimaginable that Albania would be in this competition at the beginning of 2023. The goal is to play in big events and improve, reach a higher level, try to learn and go further. There are things we can improve, we know how we can play, we have clear goals. We have the right players for this long, we have work to do and it is not easy. Everyone wants to play and be part of the team, that's our goal. We have the right material for this, we must try to take the next step", he emphasized.

"As a coach, I have to say that I would not change the experience of facing these rivals. There was no pressure of the game against Italy, Croatia, Spain, there was no such pressure, the players gave everything they could on the field, they will remember it all their lives. When they go out on the field again, they will have it as a valuable experience for them. It is important for the players and it should be taken into account that no one has embarrassed us. The players knew they had to sacrifice to play at the right level and they have given very good responses on the pitch. I wouldn't change anything," said the coach.

He also spoke about the strategy in the game, about the earliest entry of Armando Broja and Arbë Hoxha into the field:

"Broja and Hoxha earlier? We made the substitutions we had to make, it's very difficult to play against Spain who are fantastic with great players. That's why we planned them with counterattacks, we had to make the transition. The team has played with increased confidence this way, this is how we have qualified. We all played a very good game. they played the way they were supposed to and they played well", he said.

Further, Sylvinho thanked the fans, who have supported the national team in victory and defeat:

"I want to thank the fans, who supported us during the loss, the draw and at the end of tonight. There were teenagers who have never seen Albania play in Europe and it was a great pride for them. It is a golden experience and we played a difficult match".

Albania has ended its exciting journey to the Euro 2024 championship, after being defeated in the last match of group B by Spain, which is at the top of the list. Ferran Torres scored the winning goal in the 13th minute of the game, thus giving the victory to the Spanish national team.

Our boys played a fantastic game, where Armando Broja tried several times to penetrate the Spanish goal, but without luck. Albania came close to equalizing several times, but again, failed to score.