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After the EURO 2012 qualifying match in Spain ended with a score of 1:3, the Lithuanian national team players talked about the impressive skill of the opposing team and regretted not being able to preserve a tie.
Forward Tomas Danilevičius: "It's positive that we scored a goal against the world champions on their home turf. It's definitely not an easy thing to do. Unfortunately, the result is negative. When the score was tied 1:1, we conceded a quick goal and our game fell apart. If we had held on for just ten more minutes, maybe the mood would have been better, the ending would have been different. The Spaniards were simply better. They didn't score their goals in a Spanish style, but the opponent's forward was taller than everyone else. Players as capable as Spaniards know where to deliver the ball."
Defender Deividas Šemberas: "We played against the world champions. Players of such a high level impose their game and dictate their conditions. It wasn't easy to find a way through. After conceding a goal, we could have played more cautiously and not let it happen again. I think we would have had a chance to score again then. However, players of such skill took advantage of our smallest mistake. It's hard to distinguish anything from the opponents, all players are very capable and can determine the outcome of the match themselves."
Defender Marius Stankevičius: "We saw that the Spaniards outplayed us and still have room for improvement, but we showed character. Perhaps in some moments, we lacked confidence in our abilities. We spent a lot of energy trying to take the ball back. The opponents played their football, while when we had the ball, we were already tired. That's why we lost the ball many times. That was our downside. We also conceded goals that we could have avoided. After equalizing the score, we had to maintain it, the goal was supposed to give us energy. But we quickly conceded and it felt like our legs were swept out from under us."
Goalkeeper Žydrūnas Karčemarskas: "The guys fought well, but it was very difficult to hold on. We conceded a goal a bit too quickly in the second half. Did we expect such goals? Definitely not. We'll try to bounce back at home."
Defender Edgaras Česnauskis: "It was a tough match. Once again, the Spaniards proved that they deserve the title of world champions. The result is probably fair."
