Spain boss Vicente Del Bosque has praised his side after their 1-0 World Cup qualifier victory over France and claimed the margin could have been bigger.
Barcelona attacker Pedro netted the game’s only goal on 56 minutes, scrambling home from close range despite Hugo Lloris’s best efforts.
France’s Paul Pogba was sent off for a second bookable offence on 78 minutes as Spain got home to move back into top spot on Group I, ahead of Les Bleus by one point.
“We showed conviction to stick to our style. We played very well. We were a bit messy when they had 10 men but everyone played very well,” Del Bosque told AS.
“The last few days have been uncomfortable because there was a possibility we could have gone five points behind France, but the players showed great maturity. It could have been a bigger scoreline but we have worked hard and suffered right until the end.”
Del Bosque added: “We are very happy with these three points because they put us in a great position. We got the result by playing in our own style. We should never change the way we play, because it has served us very well.
“I am someone who does have doubts now and again and I think it would be foolish not to, so this result is extremely important for us. We affirmed our ideas and showed conviction out on the pitch.”