Luis de la Fuente, the coach of the Spanish national team, expressed his sadness and disappointment after losing in the UEFA Nations League final against Portugal, but he emphasized the value of the team's journey and the players' performance throughout the tournament.

De la Fuente said in statements after the match: "It is an honor to lead this team and work with these players; we want to continue together as we are now, and now we are thinking about the World Cup, which is the next goal."

He talked about the penalties that decided the match, explaining: "Penalties are lost by those who dare to take them; Morata's mistake is my responsibility because I decided that, and I feel particularly sorry because the mistake was his."

The coach also expressed his condolences to the attendees after the death of a fan who fell from the stands at the end of the first half of extra time.

Regarding the substitutions in extra time, De la Fuente pointed out his need to bring in fresh energy on the wings, saying: "We needed new energy, and that’s why we put Yeremy and Baena on the wings; Lamine is an additional player and he needs to manage his energy as well."

He concluded his statements by praising the Portuguese national team, pointing to the competitive strength witnessed in the match: "Portugal is a great team, and they should be congratulated; it’s a wonderful lineup, and it was a balanced match. They hit us, and we hit them; at a high level, details determine the winner, and they played well and have very high-level players. I wouldn’t change anything; if they hadn’t scored the second goal, we would be talking about something else."