Doha, Nov 30 (EFE).- Spain coach Luis Enrique on Wednesday insisted his players would be aiming to beat Japan and top Group E amid questions about whether La Roja will try to come second to secure an easier opponent in the round of 16.

Spain take on the Samurai Blue on Thursday knowing that a win would see them finish in first, while a draw would guarantee them second place – unless Costa Rica upset Germany in the group’s other match.

“We want to win 7 matches, it’s not about coming in second place”

If they reach the next round, Spain will face one of the top two placed teams from Group F, which contains Croatia, Belgium, Morocco and the already-eliminated Canada.

“When you are convinced that your team is really good, and that we want to win 7 matches, it’s not about coming in second place,” Enrique told a press conference.

“We want to finish in first place – first. That would mean playing whichever team finishes in second in group F.”

Enrique said that he understood that “some might be thinking ‘OK let’s finish second so that we have an easier draw’ – easier? In football? We will do our homework, we want to qualify as group winners, because that would mean that we have been better than the other teams, and later, we’ll face whoever we have to.

“To win the World Cup you have to beat all of the teams that you face, no? That’s our objective,” he said. EFE

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