Spain look forward after last-eight exit

Adriana acknowledged Spain had been sent tumbling out of UEFA Women's EURO 2013 at the quarter-final stage by a Norway side that "were better than us".

The Western New York Flash forward conceded Ignacio Quereda's team had been outplayed by their opponents at the Kalmar Arena, though she added that the squad would leave Sweden "with a good taste in our mouths" after a series of promising performances.

Team-mate Marta Torrejón concurred following La Roja's first last-eight appearance in four attempts, and stated boldly: "I hope the coming years will be even better."

There is certainly plenty of room for optimism. After starting Group C with a bang, defeating 2009 runners-up England 3-2, Spain were narrowly beaten by France, the section winners. However, they then secured a point in a 1-1 draw with Russia that ensured their passage into the knockout stage.

The promise of their attacking play, particularly against England, was not enough, however, to mask certain deficiencies when they were deprived of the ball, but there was sufficient evidence to suggest their run in Sweden may not be an isolated event.

Adriana, Spain forward
We were full of confidence, particularly following our recent games. We came here with ambition, but it wasn't to be. They were better than us and you can only congratulate them.

In principle, we went out to win with a lot of confidence. Little by little, Norway came more and more into the game, created chances and took them. Our opponents then went into the break 2-0 up after that [Irene Paredes] own goal – it was a blow for us. Also, Norway were physically superior.

Our performance could be very good for Spanish sport. We've managed to get to a quarter-final after many years in which we couldn't even reach the final tournament. The overall conclusion is positive and, despite the defeat, we leave with a very good taste in our mouths because we did a lot of very good things.

We're going to be able to do some good things in the future with the young players who are coming through, as was the case with Alexia [Putellas], who came from the Under-19s. This team has a great future and can spring many surprises.

Marta Torrejón, Spain defender
Right now, we have a mix of happiness and sadness. Happiness because we managed to reach the quarters and few people expected Spain to be at the level we were. But we're also sad because we hoped to go a little further. Having said that, we leave with a smile on our faces.

The tournament has been good. We played some great games during qualifying, drawing with Germany in Spain, and we also produced some super performances in the play-off which enabled us to be here. We've had a great tournament and put in some good work. The team has matured a lot since the start of qualifying.

We played a good first 20 minutes. We saw that we were creating chances, including some that we could have scored. The first goal was like a cold shower and the second was an own goal. From then on, the game was an uphill task. After the break, we tried to push forward, but they scored the third and there was nothing we could do.

The future looks very bright – the team is improving. You have been able to see a change as the years have passed. I hope the coming years will be even better.