Soldado unsure of Spain spot, despite goal

Recife (Brazil): Striker Roberto Soldado admits he is unsure if he will start in Spain`s next match against Tahiti, despite scoring in La Roja`s 2-1 defeat of Uruguay in their Confederations Cup opener.

The Valencia front man, on Sunday night, was a surprise inclusion at Arena Pernambuco by Coach Vicente Del Bosque, who preferred the 28-year-old to Fernando Torres and David Villa, reports Xinhua. After the match he praised the team`s ability to maintain its trademark passing game, despite constant pressure from La Celeste defense. "The philosophy of the team wasn`t lost even against a team of Uruguay`s quality", Soldado said. "We maintained possession and had our usual movement which created goal scoring chances. I don`t know if I`m going to start in the next match. That`s a decision for the coach to make." Soldado coolly slotted Spain`s opening goal against the 2011 Copa America winners after a perfectly weighted pass from Cesc Fabregas. He admitted his side endured a nervous end to the match after Luis Suarez scored from a free-kick in the 88th minute. "We are happy because we`ve beaten a difficult opponent. But we can`t afford to relax at the end when we are leading 2-0. They scored in the last few minutes and put themselves back in the match." Spain will now travel to Rio de Janeiro ahead of Thursday`s match against Oceania champions Tahiti at the Maracana stadium. IANS