Ibáñez in for the long haul with Spain

Spain defender Pablo Ibáñez insists his team-mates are "not getting carried away with euphoria" after their 3-0 triumph over Group F rivals Sweden sealed a place at UEFA EURO 2008™.

'Long way to go'
Goals from Joan Capdevila, Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Ramos secured the decisive weekend victory which makes Wednesday's game against Northern Ireland a formality for Luis Aragonés's side. However, Ibáñez is keeping his focus ahead of the match in Gran Canaria. "We have a great team but there's still a long way to go," said the Club Atlético de Madrid man. "We're very happy and want to carry on like this, and we have always had faith in our ability, even if others haven't. The criticism hasn't affected us."

Realistic Riera
That negativity had its nadir 13 months ago after back-to-back defeats in Northern Ireland and Sweden left Spain with three points from their opening three qualifying games. Seven wins in eight matches since then have turned things around, and Aragonés's men can avenge their 3-2 loss in Belfast against a Northern Ireland side still hoping to pip Sweden to second place. Nonetheless, the caution sounded by Ibáñez is shared by his colleagues. "Things in football change fast and you can go from one state of mind to another within days," said RCD Espanyol winger Albert Riera. "We weren't as bad as people said we were when we lost to Sweden, and we aren't as good as they're saying now. The important thing is that we have progressed."