Spain hero Mikel Merino said their Euro 2024 quarter-final win over hosts Germany could have led to the final, while coach Luis de la Fuente likened his team to “winning horses”.
La Roja won the battle of the top two scorers and were arguably the most impressive team at the European Championship so far.
Dani Olmo, who played 112 minutes despite starting on the bench, scored the opening goal and assisted fellow substitute Merino’s winner in extra time before Florian Wirtz equalised for Germany in the 89th minute.
Spain will face either Portugal or France in the semi-finals.
“I’m exhausted, the adrenaline is in my system, it was a special moment,” Real Sociedad midfielder Merino said.
“It’s a match between the best teams in the world, a match we’ve all been waiting for. It could be a World Cup final or a European Championship final.”
“We showed that we know how to suffer and that we have a great team.”
Spain have been one of the most impressive teams at the Euros, beating 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia, European champions Italy and Albania in the group stage before beating Georgia in the last 16.
Young wingers Ramin Yamal, just 16 years old, and 21-year-old Nico Williams are two of the stars of the tournament.
But they should have won the game differently, with both of them and striker Alvaro Morata being substituted at 1-0.
“I am proud to coach a group of players with such tireless passion,” de la Fuente said.
“They’re used to competing at the highest level and have a chance to win the tournament.”
“It remains to be seen how far we can go, but I’m confident this team can go very far.
“We are very happy, but our euphoria is completely under control. We know that tomorrow is another day.”
Spain will be without suspended defenders Dani Carvajal and Robin Le Normand for the semi-final, while midfielder Pedri, who was substituted in the eighth minute against Olmo, is an injury doubt.
Fifteen players received cards in the match, the second-highest total of any European Championship match, with Spain receiving seven, including Le Normand and Carvajal, who were sent off after receiving two yellow cards.
“I played in the ’80s. If you watch videos from the ’80s and see how football was played back then, you’ll see I’m not scared. I have friends who say, ‘Do you want to be kissed?'” De La Fuente said.
“This is football. I’m not afraid of these things. The game is played to the limit. I’m not going to complain about the strength of the opposing team. Instead, I’m grateful for what we’ve achieved as a team.”
“The heart is always more important than the legs,” said Olmo, who plays for Germany’s RB Leipzig and was named Player of the Year.
“Let’s take it easy and keep it down because we have the semi-finals in four days. We have the semi-finals in a few days so we’ll enjoy it, celebrate but let’s take it easy and keep it down.”
“We talk about tactics and systems but it’s actually become a lot more human than that,” former Scotland winger Pat Nevin said, listening to BBC Radio 5 Live.
“It was a question of who would tire the least and who would switch off for a second. And it was the German.”
“Well done Spain. They are not only a beautiful team, they have guts too. But they have a lot of suspended players so it will be difficult to beat whoever they face in the semi-finals.”
