Luis Enrique thought for a couple of seconds, looked straight back at the questioner, and gave the curtest of replies.

“No,” said the Spain coach, with the blankest of looks on his face, after being asked if he had seen a better team than his at the European Championship.

An answer out of blind loyalty? Perhaps.

Or was it the fact that Spain was the leading scorer at Euro 2020? Maybe.

Or the fact that La Roja is on an unbeaten streak stretching back to October, a run of 13 games? Quite possibly.

Spain’s opponent in the European Championship semifinals on Tuesday might have something to say about all that.

Italy, another of the continent’s traditional powers, brings an even better run of form to Wembley Stadium — a national-record 32 matches unbeaten, going all the way back to September 2018.

From the moment tenor Andrea Bocelli cleared the field at Stadio Olimpico after his stirring rendition of “Nessun Dorma” at the opening ceremony, making way for the start of the tournament, the Italians have been right on the money.