Luis Enrique said it was a good thing Gerard Moreno missed a string of chances in Spain's victory against Switzerland rather than Alvaro Morata following the recent criticism aimed at the Juventus striker.
Three-time European champions Spain booked their place in the semi-finals of Euro 2020 on Friday with a dramatic penalty shoot-out victory over 10-man Switzerland.
La Roja, who needed extra time to overcome Croatia in the last 16, were pegged back by a Xherdan Shaqiri strike in St Petersburg after Denis Zakaria's own goal had put them in front.
Even after Remo Freuler's dismissal with 77 minutes played, Luis Enrique's men could not find a way through due to a mixture of profligacy and a number of Yann Sommer saves – a tournament-high 10 in total.
Gerard replaced Morata and endured a tough time of it, the Villarreal striker missing a number of good opportunities to win the tie for Spain before penalties were required.
He managed six shots, half of those on target, while his expected goals (xG) return of 3.3 for the tournament so far is the highest of any player yet to score at Euro 2020.
Morata revealed last week he and his family had been subjected to abuse by Spain fans, and Luis Enrique is glad the striker was not the recipient of any more criticism on Friday.
"Luckily it was Gerard Moreno who failed to take the chances. If Morata misses them, you impale him," the Spain head coach said after the quarter-final win.
"It's quite evident what Morata has experienced and what Gerard has experienced. They are both my players and I love them very much."
Spain are the sixth team to progress from two separate knockout games of a single European Championship tournament that went to extra time or beyond, all five previous sides going on to lift the trophy.
They were on the back foot when Sergio Busquets missed the first spot-kick, but Fabian Schar, Manuel Akanji and Ruben Vargas all failed to find the net for Switzerland.
Asked if he felt nervous watching the shoot-out, Luis Enrique said: "It was a tranquil moment for me because we'd already worked on everything. Nothing else could be done.
"Win or lose on penalties, the team would have done excellently for my judgement. For how they've handled this, how they've played, how they've represented Spain.
"We are so proud. It'd be ridiculous to think that we, or any of the semi-finalists, would settle for just getting that far now – all of us want to get to the final and win.
"I've said from the outset that we are one of the seven or eight teams which, no exaggeration, could win this trophy – now we're one of four."
Switzerland knocked out competition favourites France on penalties in the last round following an incredible 3-3 draw, but they ultimately could not do likewise against Spain.
It is the fourth time the Swiss have been eliminated from a major tournament at the last-eight stage, with each of those previous occasions coming in the World Cup.
"I have mixed feelings," said head coach Vladimir Petkovic after the game. "I have pride – we can all be so proud. We leave here with our heads held high.
"On the other hand, we were so close to the semi-final, and that doesn't happen often. I have more positive than negative feelings.
"Congratulations to Spain. They tried everything and in the end won on penalties. I am very proud of my team, and all the players.
"My players were the heroes of the night. We would have deserved to go to the semi-final."
Reims striker Balogun backs himself for Olympic appearance
Reims striker Folarin Balogun may have been overlooked by England boss Gareth Southgate, but he believes he could have an international career outside of football.
The Arsenal loanee has been in blistering form this season, scoring 17 goals in 27 Ligue 1 appearances, and has been a regular for the Three Lions' under-21 side.
Such form has led to calls he should be promoted to the senior squad, particularly given the fight for his international allegiance is fierce as Balogun is also eligible for the United States and Nigeria.
Southgate did not heed those calls, however, instead opting to select Brentford's Ivan Toney as understudy to captain Harry Kane.
Whether Balogun will get his chance in the near future remains to be seen but he has revealed he fancies his chances of featuring at the Olympics in table tennis.
"I'm very, very good at ping pong. We have one [a table] here and honestly, I think I could play it at Olympic level," he told Sky Sports.
"I'm honestly that good, I've made a lot of money with a few bets, but yeah, I'm really, really good."
Balogun could find inspiration from others who have competed in other sports outside of football, including former Arsenal and Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech, who plays semi-professional ice hockey in England.
Sevilla appoint Mendilibar after sacking Sampaoli
Sevilla have confirmed the appointment of Jose Luis Mendilibar as coach on a short-term contract after sacking Jorge Sampaoli.
A dismal run of form has seen Sevilla lose four of their last seven LaLiga games and they sit just two points above the relegation zone.
Sampaoli's second spell at the club came to an end on Tuesday following a 2-0 defeat at Getafe, which proved the final straw.
The Argentine replaced Julen Lopetegui in October but managed just six wins out of 19 LaLiga matches in charge, although he did lead Sevilla into the Europa League quarter-finals.
Sevilla moved quickly to confirm a replacement, with former Real Valladolid, Alaves and Eibar boss Mendilibar drafted in on a contract until June 30.
His first match in charge will be after the international break, with Sevilla visiting fellow strugglers Cadiz. They then host Celta Vigo on April 7 before travelling to Old Trafford for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie against Manchester United six days later.
Mendilibar has overseen 448 LaLiga games as a coach, winning 128 and losing 195.
Neville keen for new stadium as deadline for Man Utd takeover bids approaches
Gary Neville is keen for Manchester United to have a new home, telling prospective bidders to modernise the club.
The Glazer family's tenure in charge at Old Trafford could be nearing a conclusion, having announced in November that they were exploring options for a sale.
Last week saw visits to the club from Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani's delegation and Jim Ratcliffe, both of whom are the running for a potential takeover – though there could be as many as eight bidders.
Former United captain Neville is keen for whoever takes charge to invest significantly in the club's infrastructure, including the construction of a new stadium.
"I think we've got to make sure that whoever the new owners are in the next few months, that they harness what the club's history is about, and also take Manchester United forward into a modern era," he told ITV News.
"You look back at the past in terms of what we are and what we should be, but also I think we need to be a modern football club, with a new stadium, a new infrastructure.
"The training ground needs to be brought up to speed and the sporting project needs to be world class.
"And there needs to be that feeling among the fans again, that everyone's aligned on the same page - they haven't had that for the last eight-to-10-years."
While United are perceived to have fallen behind to their rivals off the field, significant gains have been made under the stewardship of Erik ten Hag.
The Dutch boss guided United to League Cup glory in February, the club's first trophy since 2017, with further honours up for grabs with the campaign in the FA Cup and Europa League continuing.
Those improvements have impressed Neville, who added: "I think the thing about Manchester United for me is that the football can never be boring.
"You always have to go to a game feeling that you're going to see something exciting.
"The lads that wear those shirts out on the pitch, they have to look like they're engaged and they've got a spirit and they want to be here.
"You think about how bad it was at the end of last season to what it is now - a huge turnaround."
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