Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said fatigue would be no excuse for failure in the Fifa Confederations Cup final against Brazil after his side edged a gruelling semifinal with Italy on penalties in Fortaleza.
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Thursday's game, played amid stifling humidity, saw Spain prevail 7-6 in a shoot-out after 120 energy- sapping minutes failed to yield a goal, with substitute Jesus Navas netting the decisive spot kick.
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Brazil will benefit from an extra day's rest prior to Sunday's final at Rio de Janeiro's fabled Maracana, having beaten Uruguay 2-1 on Wednesday, but Del Bosque said he had no concerns about the uneven turnaround.
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"I'm not looking for excuses," said Del Bosque, who has already led Spain to glory at the 2010 Fifa World Cup™ and the 2012 Uefa Euro.
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"It shouldn't be an excuse. It's a different match. We have 72 hours, others have a bit more, but we want to put on a good show.
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"Today the players put in a great effort, although it's true that they play two times a week for practically the whole year.
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"They've stepped up to the mark for the national team, but we still want a little bit more. We'll see if we can do it on Sunday."
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Midfielder Juan Mata, a second-half substitute, said Spain's efforts had left them "physically diminished", and captain Iker Casillas admitted that Cesare Prandelli's side had asked them searching questions.
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"They put a system in place that really complicated things for us," said the Real Madrid goalkeeper, who was voted man of the match.
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"Italy were well organised, with two full-backs who attack a lot, get forward and come into the centre.
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I'm convinced that Brazil won't play like that.
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"The whole world wanted to see a Brazil-Spain final,
and in the end the two teams who are there are the ones who deserve it.
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"It's basically a curtain-raiser for the World Cup (next year), and everyone who loves football will agree that it should be a great match."
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Leonardo Bonucci was the only player to miss a penalty in the shoot-out, the Juventus centre-back hoisting his shot high over the bar and presenting Navas with an opportunity to send Spain into the final.
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It was a symbolic outcome, as Spain's dominance of world and European football was sparked by a shoot-out victory over Italy in Vienna in the quarterfinals of Euro 2008.
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Looking back over Spain's five-year reign at the summit of the world game, Casillas paid tribute to a detailed coaching set-up that recently yielded success for Spain at the Under-21 European Championship.
Spain as a country do not have any excuse for the kind of performance they put up yesterday night. They were horrible!