Saudis deserved a draw, says Aragones

KAISERSLAUTERN, June 23 (Reuters) Spain coach Luis Aragones said his team were fortunate to beat World Cup Group H rivals Saudi Arabia 1-0 today.

''We didn't play too badly in the first half and maybe could have had another goal,'' Aragones said. ''But we fell apart in the second and were at their mercy.

''They deserved to score a goal and get at least a draw from the match.'' Goalscorer Juanito said the game proved valuable experience for the fringe players in the squad.

''The game didn't have a lot of importance because we had already qualified but it was a chance for the other players to impress,'' he told Spanish radio.

Aragones decided to field an entirely new team against the Saudis.

''We all did the best we could and I was pleased with my performance because it isn't every day you can score a goal in a World Cup,'' added Juanito.

''We played well enough in the first half but lost too many balls too easily in the second when we took it a little easy.

''But they were not easy opponents. They made it difficult for us.'' LAST 16 Spain now play France, Switzerland or South Korea in the last 16.

''I don't care who we get in the next round, though France are clearly the strongest side we can come up against,'' said Juanito.

''It's one more little step to (the final) in Berlin. We'll see how it goes.'' One of the fringe players given a chance on Friday was striker Jose Antonio Reyes.

''It was my first match today,'' said Reyes. ''I was quite happy.

I think I did a good job. We won and that's the important thing.

''I think people can expect a lot more from us. This is just the beginning. This was just our start.'' Saudi coach Marcos Paqueta said: ''Spain played with their reserves but they were greatly experienced players. We fought very hard and made them hang on in the second half.

''We were much calmer and came up with a strategy to deal with them and in the last 20 minutes we made some good chances.

''We are going to leave with a nice impression. For us it was a nice experience for our team to test themselves against high level opposition.'' REUTERS KD KN2255