Raul highlights Spanish relief

Raul played down his individual contribution after his second-half goal inspired Spain to a 3-1 triumph over Tunisia and a place in the knock-out stages of the World Cup.

The Spain captain came on as a substitute after the half-time break and cancelled out Jaouhar Mnari’s early effort, which had given the Africans a surprise lead.

Two subsequent goals from Atletico Madrid forward Fernando Torres ensured Spain clinched three points.

“We have suffered a lot after they went in front,” admitted Raul. “We showed a lot of anxiety in the first half and I think we struggled under pressure to find the goal.

“But once we got the equaliser we were able to play our game and to prove our superiority.”

The Real Madrid striker believes the victory, following a 4-0 triumph over Ukraine in their Group H opener, will give their morale a boost.

“We are very happy and very confident,” he said. “I think we have shown that we can suffer and we are able to bounce back.”

Spain coach Luis Aragones has already confirmed that he will rest his top players for their last group game against Saudi Arabia.

And Raul knows he and his team-mates need to save all their energy for the knock-out stages.

“We are going to try to win this World Cup,” he said. “But the true tournament begins in the second round and we have to prove our worth then, because any team can send you packing.”