MIGUEL Angel Nadal, the man who was not spot-on for Spain at the weekend, yesterday dusted himself off before forecasting an England-France European Championship final on Sunday.
The Barcelona defender saw his shoot-out penalty kept out by England keeper David Seaman as England edged into the last four by the narrowest of margins on a nerve-shredding Wembley afternoon. While the 29-year-old Spaniard was upset after having watched Seaman's leap kill off his side's dreams of glory, Nadal suggested Terry Venables' side would now go on to reach the tournament showpiece.
He was equally convinced that France would be England's opponents on June 30. ``I think now it will be England versus France, and I really fancy the look of it. Both of them are very interesting sides, but very different,'' he said.
``We played France in the group stage, and drew with them as we drew with England. But group games and knock-out matches are different. I wouldn't like to say who'll win but I think that will be the final.''
Nadal, like his team-mates, was still struggling to come to terms with the pain of a shoot-out exit. ``We were the superior team over 90 minutes,'' he said. ``I suppose I should feel sorry for myself, but I really feel sorry for the team.''
The defender added that certain reports in Britain had angered the Spanish camp. ``Our disappointment is enormous, and it's all the bigger because of the way we have suffered at the hands of the press this week,'' he said.
``We did everything we could, and were the better team, but we finished on the losing side and are going home. That's hard to take, but something we've got to learn from together.''
Javier Clemente, the Spanish coach, complained loudly about Paul Gascoigne's ``lack of respect'' during the national anthems. But there was more unhappiness among their players about the first-half Julio Salinas ``goal'' wrongly chalked off for offside.
``It was a legitimate goal, and the television pictures showed it,'' said Barcelona midfielder Guillermo Amor. ``What more do you want to know?
``But you have to favour England now. All the teams left in the tournament are strong, but nevertheless, England have the big advantage of playing under their own roof at Wembley, and that will make a difference.''
Captain Andoni Zubizarreta, now at Valencia but who made his mark at the Nou Camp under England manager Terry Venables, accepted that the English deserved the glory from the tightest of afternoons.
``You can talk about the details all you want, but football is about winning and losing, and sadly we lost,'' said the 34-year-old. ``I thought our performance was brilliant and disciplined, but England won. We just have to go home now, calm down, and look to bounce back.''
On the downside for England is the fact that Gary Neville will miss what would have been the biggest game of his career so far after having received his second booking of the tournament on Saturday.
``I think he over-reacted, but I knew as soon as I did it that it was a booking, no arguments,'' said Neville. ``But I didn't let it affect me, you can't. I was out there playing for 56 million people. I can't let them down because of my own little disappointment.
``It's more important that England do well than anything Gary Neville does, and you mustn't lose sight of that.''
Despair for Neville is likely to bring joy - and an enormous burden - to another, with younger brother Philip, just 19, set to come in for only his second cap.
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