De la Fuente was pleased with both the result and the attitude shown by his players, particularly after England threatened to take control of the match.
“We are very happy with the result, with the performance and with having shown the world that we have a lot of ambition and a desire to win. It is true that there were moments when we had to suffer. But this is England.”
Spain trailed during the match but De la Fuente said his players remained convinced they could recover.
“At half-time we spoke. We had the match under control, we had three very clear chances. We continue to show that this team never gives up, that we have no intention of stopping winning.”
The Spain boss also praised the impact of his substitutes.
“I am lucky to have these footballers. Anyone who comes onto the pitch is ready. It is about trying to change things. They have exceptional talent.”
De la Fuente acknowledged that England caused Spain problems after scoring twice.
“We conceded the two goals against England, it was a moment of disconnection, they could hurt us and we were not able to deal with them.”
However, he felt Spain had controlled the match for long periods against a major opponent.
“In general terms the game was under control against a superpower. The team then regained control. There are many matches within a match. We knew how to play all of them.”
De la Fuente also praised the mentality of a group that had won the World Cup only 69 days earlier.
“That is the merit of the players. We limit ourselves to selecting players for a model created for this type of person.”
He added: “There is a human relationship, a family, which at any moment encourages us to grow and sacrifice more.”
Spain's unbeaten run has now reached 39 matches, but De la Fuente said his players remain focused on improving.
“The data are objective. It is very difficult to do what Spain is doing. Against Croatia we will approach it as the last match. These players always want to continue growing.”
De la Fuente also confirmed Eric García had suffered a minor problem during the warm-up, with his condition to be assessed before Spain decide whether another player needs to join the squad.