Sandra Paños: "Everything that has happened to us has given us much more strength"

MADRID, 10 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Spanish international Sandra Paños has assured that everything that has happened to them before the European Championship, such as the injuries of Jenni Hermoso and Alexia Putellas, has hurt them but has given them "much more strength" when seeing how their companions have overcome, and affirms that the team is "mentally focused" to face Germany on Tuesday in the second match of the tournament.

"Everything that has happened to us has given us much more strength to face everything that comes. Having Alexia and seeing how she has overcome the situation, despite not feeling well emotionally, has given us a lot of strength, it has given us animated and has given us a lot of strength to face everything that comes. The team is fine, mentally focused and eager, because it will be a very competitive and very nice game", he declared at a press conference.

The FC Barcelona goalkeeper also recognized that they are "very keen to win against Germany". "Until now we haven't done it. These days we have tried to correct some things that didn't work out for us in the Finland match, for example conceding so early, and we are ready for whatever comes. Obviously, all matches are very important, because in a minute the whole game can change. We must be concentrated and convinced of what we have to do", he indicated.

In this sense, he recognized that it was "a stick" that the Finns managed to score after 50 seconds in the first match of the tournament, although finally Jorge Vilda's men managed to come back (4-1). "I didn't expect it. I had total confidence that the team was going to take him out, it was a matter of laying the foundations and starting to play what we know how to play to create chances," he said.

"I was totally convinced that it was going to come back. I enjoyed it like the most of you, because I didn't have to intervene much more in the game. I'm happy with the comeback, for what it meant on a mental level for all the teammates and for being able to dedicate it to them to Alexia. That says a lot about the ambition that this team has", he added. "I'm always aware that things can happen. The goal they scored the other day was something unexpected, but goalkeepers like to have work. I'm really looking forward to being able to help the team in everything they need," he continued.

Regarding the German team, the Alicante explained that there has been "a generational change" that has not made them lose level. "They are very young players with great potential, we are seeing it. In the first match of the competition the pace they have imposed has been tremendous. Removing the weak points will be our thing; if we manage to dominate the match and there are not so many transitions, I think it will be the key to win the game", he pointed out.

"We have faced them several times, the last two with a draw. Many players have changed, but the way of playing is the same. It is a very complete team that has players who play very well inside, who are very vertical, who they are capable of plugging them all in. We will have to be firm defensively, watch our backs and not leave too much space between the lines so they can take advantage of it".

He also thanked Joti Chatzialexiou, director of national teams for the German Football Federation (DFB), who believes that Spain will be the future dominant power in women's football. "We appreciate the respect that all the national teams have for us, they highly value us for what we are doing. At the level of the lower categories we are number one in the ranking; we must congratulate the U-17 and U-19 for being runner-up and champion of Europe. That is marking that the selections see us in the future as a very powerful selection", exposed.

Finally, Paños confessed that they "would love" for many Spaniards to go see the game next Tuesday. "Hopefully in the game against Germany many more will appear than the other day. The atmosphere on Friday was tremendous, the attendance record for a non-host team was broken, and it was something incredible. We feel the fans and all the teammates who did not have been able to be here, we feel them close, we feel their support," he concluded.