This could be history in waiting and a future in the making that Spain have been waiting for for a long time, Jorge Vilda insisted. After both they and Germany scored four in their opening match, the meeting on Tuesday night is likely to define Group B – and, the Spain coach said, so much more besides. The seleccion have never beaten Germany but they have never been closer either and Brentford brings an opportunity they will “leave their soul” to grasp.
For what feels like months now Vilda has sought to reduce the pressure placed on his players, insisting that the expectations made of them are exaggerated. Here he was quick to remind people of the threat standing before his players and audibly applying the full stops as he described Germany as: “A. Clear. Candidate. As we have been saying from the start.” And yet he did not shy away from the significance of a match that might change everything.
