"God grant that Spain become world champions. It would be a gift for the Spanish people on the eve of the holidays," Sanchez said in an interview to state TV-channel TVE.
This was the first interview after his appointment, Spain and Portugal played out an entertaining 3-3 draw at Sochi's Fisht Stadium on Friday, with Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo scoring a hat-trick.
Spain vs Portugal World Cup⚽️Now Playing GOALS pt 4 of 5 What a Game!! #Portugal #Spain #PortugalVsSpain #portuguese #PortugalSpain #SPAINVPORTUGAL #spainportugal #SPAvsPOR #futbol ⚽️#soccer⚽️#DiegoCosta #WorldCup2018 #2018WorldCup #FIFA #FIFAWorldCup #news #np #Goal #goals pic.twitter.com/ZfStVAv5Vy
— In Case You Missed It (@SoccerGOOOOOALS) 15 июня 2018 г.
Earlier, Spain defender Gerard Pique said that it was important for their team to show that the sacking of their former head coach Julen Lopetegui has not had any lingering effects on the squad.
"The win was important but the main thing was to show everyone that we can play well following [Julen] Lopetegui's departure. The game was difficult but we played as a team and scored three goals. It is important not to lose concentration now… But the draw didn't suit either us or Portugal," Pique added.