Asensio: "Spain will avoid over-confidence trap at World Cup"

Luis Enrique's side began their bid for a second World Cup crown with a 7-0 destruction of the Central American side on Wednesday, with Asensio netting the second goal. Spain came into the tournament as one of the fancied teams and, along with England and France, managed to produce a statement win.

"Yesterday's games reaffirmed to us that we have to stay on this path, playing in this way," Real Madrid winger Asensio said on Thursday. "It gives us a lot of confidence for what's to come, and we want to keep going like this. We won't get over-confident, because the coach won't let us."

Enrique played Asensio through the middle against Costa Rica, with the squad's only natural central striker, Alvaro Morata, confined to a substitute role.

"From the first day, the coach told me that I could play in various positions," explained Asensio. "The No. 9 is a position where you have to be in the right place, you have to have your space, because we play as a team. He asks me to coordinate with the midfielders and wingers so that everyone is in their spot."

Spain's emphatic victory was their biggest-ever triumph at a World Cup and Asensio believes Enrique is a superb motivator: "It's a mix of the experience that he has from his playing days, and that he knows really well how to get his message across to the players," added the 26-year-old. "We like what he tells us, he convinces us, and that makes us all row in the same direction and compete the very best we can."