Fabregas wins praise from del Bosque

Spain manager Vicente del Bosque has defended his decision to start without a recognised striker against France.

The Spanish manager opted to leave Fernando Torres on the bench in their Euro 2012 quarter-final clash against France, with Cesc Fabregas included in to the starting line-up for the Chelsea man.

But Fabregas performed admirably in his unfamiliar role as two goals from midfielder Xavi Alonso helped Spain stay on course for a second consecutive European title.

“I trust Fabregas,” del Bosque said after the match.

“We have three very good strikers, but I see him in good form to play.

“I always say about this duo of Xavi and [Sergio] Busquets, that they are players with a more prominent role in attack than in the defence.”

Spain will now face an in-form Portugal side led by Cristiano Ronaldo in the semi-finals on Wednesday and Alonso is looking forward to playing against his Real Madrid team-mate.

“We know Cristiano perfectly,” Alonso told Telecinco.

“We are not surprised about his level because he has played that way during the entire year. The key is to play like we did today.”