Vilda hails Spain’s courage in 'historic' win over US

Women’s team coach says they were ‘very competitive’ despite missing key players amid off-field controversy

PAMPLONA:

Spain women's coach Jorge Vilda said his side had showed courage in beating the United States 2-0 in a friendly on Tuesday, recording their first win over the world champions despite missing several key players amid off-field controversy.

Vilda had omitted 15 players from his squad who had reportedly told the national federation (RFEF) they would quit international duty if he remained in charge. The players were said to be unhappy with the management of injuries, the atmosphere in the locker room, Vilda's team selection and his training sessions.

The players have denied asking for the coach to be sacked and said they had only raised their concerns with RFEF in order to improve the performance of the group.

"I think it's a historic day for Spanish football as we beat the United States, the top team in the world, for the very first time," Vilda told reporters on Tuesday after goals from Laia Codina and Esther Gonzalez gave them victory.

"All the praise goes to my players because they showed all their courage and how to do things the right way. We were very competitive right to the end of the match.

"Right now, we're focused on having fun and enjoying the victory as this doesn't happen every day. We will have the Women's World Cup draw in about 15 days in New Zealand, find out our opponents and start preparations ..."

Midfielder Maite Oroz said the win was a moment she would never forget. "We knew this was going to be a difficult match against the best national team in the world," Oroz said.

"We approached it in the best possible way and at the end the team's happiness was more than obvious among those who played and those who didn't."