Ferran Torres receives 'external factors' after Spain exit from World Cup

Ferran Torres has lamented the 'external factors' which he says cost Spain in their shock penalty shootout loss to Morocco in the Round of 16 of the World Cup.

La Roja crashed out in the Round of 16 for the second consecutive final, as Yassine Bounou produced a heroic display with Morocco triumphing 3-0 on penalties after a goalless draw.

Luis Enrique's men dominated the proceedings, enjoying more than 77% possession over 120 minutes, but then had to pay not to convert this advantage after creating a single shot on target, with Pablo Sarabia , Carlos Soler and Sergio Busquets all off target in the shootout.

Spain thus became the first nation to lose four penalty kicks in the World Cup, but Torres insists he and his team-mates could not have done more.

"We gave it our all from the first minute to the 120th minute," he said. “We didn't manage in front of goal. It was tough, they locked themselves in, they played like that, and the chances we had weren't clear at all.

"We are frustrated, because we were superior, we were not able to realize the opportunities we had and there were external factors that did not help us.

"We practiced penalties because we knew they were 120 [minutes] games plus penalties. But we continue to work for the future."

Marcos Llorente admitted "it was very complicated" to create chances to break a resolute Morocco, which became the fourth African nation to reach the quarter-finals after Cameroon (1990), Senegal (2002) and Ghana (2010).

Rodri added: "We weren't right on penalties and we're going home. I don't know what else to say, I wish someone up there helped us with the penalties. The team gave it their all, and we deserved to pass."