Lopetegui was replaced by Spain's sporting director Fernando Hierro after agreeing to take charge of manegerless Real Madrid after the World Cup without notifying the RFEF that he was in talks with the club.

Spain lost 4-3 on penalties to the host nation after the match finished 1-1 after extra time and were eliminated from the tournament.

“When you take a decision, with values and conviction all this responsibility gives you calm. All my board and myself are completely convinced that we are going in the right way. It’s a very difficult day for us because we are going out - it’s not the favorite team that is going out, but we go with the sensation that we are a better team than the team that is in the next round," Rubiales said.

He added that his side knew "how to win and how to lose," and they congratulated Russia on reaching their first-ever World Cup quarter-finals since the break-up of the Soviet Union.

"In the next weeks, we will speak about it (Hierro's future), but Fernando Hierro is an incredible man and he worked with spirit and I want to say thank you to him," Rubiales added.