Spanish success satisfies Ufarte

By Andrew Haslam in Nyon

Spain coach Armando Ufarte was in satisfied mood as he celebrated his side's "deserved" victory in the UEFA European Under-19 Championship.

Perfect chip
Borja Valero's fine goal two minutes into added time was enough to win a tight contest against Turkey at Colovray Sports Centre in Nyon, the Real Madrid CF player displaying excellent close control as he dribbled into the penalty area before executing a pinpoint chip over goalkeeper Sener Özcan.

'Positive performance'
"We played well against a strong Turkish team who were good opponents," Ufarte told uefa.com. "But I think we deserved to win as we were much more positive and gave everything for victory, and created a lot more chances."

Penalty boost
The Spain coach had spoken before the final of potential tiredness after the semi-final victory against Ukraine on penalties, but his fears proved unfounded. "Against Ukraine the players had had a very long, hard game, and I was worried that they wouldn't be able to produce the same level of performance again," Ufarte said. "[But] we always play the same way; we may change our players, but never the system. It turned out that the guys who had played in that game were lifted after winning that and had extra inspiration for the final."

Spanish strength
Valero, who had only come on as an 85th-minute substitute, admitted watching from the sidelines had been difficult. "It was hard to watch from the bench, but I was pleased to get on," he said. "At the start, it was quite even but I think we got stronger as the game wore on and created more chances."

'Beautiful goal'
The goalscorer admitted his goal had a touch of fortune, adding: "It was a beautiful goal, probably the best I have ever scored and certainly the most important. I am very happy, especially as I had already missed a chance so I was particularly pleased to put the second away. I wasn't thinking about going for goal when I picked up the ball, but then I saw there was a chance as the goalkeeper was off his line and luckily it went in."

'Deserved victory'
Ufarte and his players were united in the belief that Spain were deserved champions. "We showed that we are a good team in this tournament, played some good games and we had some luck in the final, when it counted most," Valero said. "We won three [Group B] games and then came through a difficult semi-final, so we deserved to win."

Hard work rewarded
Spanish striker Roberto Soldado, who was unable to convert a number of presentable opportunities, said he was particularly relieved at the victory. "I think it was one of the best goals ever seen in a youth tournament," he told uefa.com. "I had a lot of chances myself and obviously would have liked to have scored, but the important thing is that the team won. It was a nice game for all our fans, and all our hard work has paid off."

Yalman dejection
In contrast, Turkey coach Müjat Yalman cut a desolate figure after the final whistle. "Unfortunately for us, one team had to lose and everything goes to the winner," he said. "Spain took their chance and that is all there is to it. To lose to a goal in the last seconds is always hard, but that is part is part of football and you must play to the end. Spain did that and that was the result. The manner of the goal is not important; it doesn't matter how you lose."