Spain’s loss to Japan shocked the world, but a former Real Madrid player believes it was on purpose.
Spain finished second in their group after losing to Japan 2-1 in their final game. The loss means that Spain has to play Group F winners, Morocco, in the round of 16 and crucially avoid facing Brazil in the semi-finals.
It’s almost as if Spain are happy to lose against Japan. They didn’t show any urgency to equalize. I think they want to eliminate Germany.
— Luan The Broken (@dotnetjunky) December 1, 2022
Japan had already defeated European giants Germany in the first game, so a win against Spain however unlikely wasn’t impossible.
But Hugo Sanchez believes that Luis Enrique lost on purpose so that his side could get a more favourable draw down the road.
‘I assure you. I was not there and I’m not in the mind of Luis Enrique but he had thought about what was the best way to avoid playing Brazil in the quarter-finals. Yes there is a risk but it’s a risk worth taking. It’s not that they fear Brazil but they respect them.’ Sanchez told an ESPN reporter.
‘The coach is never going to admit it. Managers don’t say: “I let them win”.
Although it seems that Spain has got lucky and avoided playing Croatia and potentially Brazil, it is hard to believe that Enrique would instruct his players to lose.
Do you think Spain lost on purpose?