Julen Lopetegui claims Spain were undone by a “special” Italy team “who always have another life” but is adamant his side did enough to win.
Vitolo capitalised on a Gianluigi Buffon error to give Spain the lead five minutes before the hour, but they would only come away with a 1-1 draw after Daniele De Rossi scored a late penalty.
“I think we had a good game overall, with an excellent first half,” the Coach said after the game.
“It’s a shame that we didn’t get the three points, we deserved to win but this is Italy, who always have another life.
“We didn’t counter their more-direct style in the final 20 minutes.
“Our opponents played with almost four forwards, while we had two centre-backs and a midfielder on a yellow card, and that conditioned us.
“They have a special ability and are also a great Italy. They had their moments, but I think we were better and deserved the three points. We didn’t deserve this.
“Now we must assess the good things we did and the not-so-good. Albania is now the more difficult game of the two.
“Iniesta’s a great player, but above all you need a great team. Still, great players make great teams.”