Asenjo holding on to fading hopes

Spain's chances of reaching the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship semi-finals receded dramatically following their 2-0 defeat by England, but Sergio Asenjo insists that "hope is the last thing we'll lose" as they prepare to face Finland in their final group game.

Minds focused
Goalkeeper Asenjo has been one of Spain's more impressive performers, winning Carlsberg Man of the Match honours in the goalless draw with Germany before catching the eye again against England, saving a James Milner penalty. Despite those displays, the side coached by Juan Ramón López Caro possess a solitary point and look bound for an early exit, needing a win against Finland, an England victory over Germany and a four-goal swing to erase the Germans' superior statistics and avoid elimination. "We're working very hard and have focused all our minds on winning our next match, hoping that luck is on our side and that in the other game England beat Germany," Asenjo told uefa.com. "As long as there's an opportunity, we'll fight for it."

Freshness lacking
The Real Valladolid CF player nonetheless admitted that Spain have "lacked freshness" so far, adding: "From an individual point of view, I've felt very good, but we came here as a group and as a group we've not been up to the level we showed in the qualifiers." No doubt partly due to that, Asenjo will certainly not be taking upcoming opponents Finland lightly, despite them having nothing but pride at stake after two defeats. "I imagine the Finns want to give a good account of themselves," he explained. "We're playing to survive and they'll certainly want to leave the tournament with a win."

'We'll give everything'
Those thoughts were echoed by CA Osasuna defender Nacho Monreal. "Finland are a good team," he told uefa.com. "They have nothing to play for, so they'll be out to enjoy themselves, even if they can't go through. Even so, they're going to make life very difficult for us. It's up to us to prove that we're the ones fighting for something. We know how difficult it's going to be, but as long as still have a mathematical chance, we'll give everything."

'Good impression'
Should Spain fall short Monreal will be one of many players left nursing regrets. "We had our minds set on being winners, had a great team and we had so much hope in this team," he said. "But we faced two national teams that, to be honest, I don't think are better than us. The problem is that our team hasn't given everything it's capable of and that's gone against us." At the very least, the 23-year-old is adamant that Spain bow out on a high, if bow out they must. "I think it's important for us to put on a good show in the last match to leave people with a good impression. It's a European Championship and most of us aren't going to go to another one because we'll be too old."