Spain coach Luis Aragones says his side were rewarded for their perseverance in the 2-1 win over Sweden.
Striker David Villa expertly finished in injury-time to grab Spain's winner.
"We're happy," said Aragones, whose side reached the last eight after Russia beat Greece. "We had many chances in the second half.
"In the second half, we went out looking for the goal and things worked out. We were the boss of the ball in the second half."
Fernando Torres had put Spain ahead only for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to haul Sweden level as they showed chinks in the defensive armour of Aragones' side.
But Spain dominated after the break and Villa scored to leave his side top of their group on six points.
"The team looked superior when it was on the ball," stated Aragones. "It was a good win against a very good team. We had a lot to lose coming in.
"We dominated the opening 20 minutes and deserved to go in front but then we lost our way a bit."
Spanish centre-back Carles Puyol was forced off after 25 minutes and Aragones will have to wait to discover the extent of his foot injury.
"I hope he won't be out for too long," said the Spain coach. "We just hope it's not very serious.
"I haven't been able to talk to the medical doctor yet."
Left-sided midfielder David Silva has a similar injury but Aragones added: "He has a slight problem but I hope I won't have to replace him."
Villa took his tally to four goals for the tournament after netting a hat-trick in Spain's first Euro 2008 game against Russia.
"This goal gives me more pleasure than the three in the previous match," he revealed.
"But my goals are not the most important thing - the most important thing is the team has six points."
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