While delighted to see his team reach the round of 32 as group winners, the tactician felt the game became overly physical and drifted away from the possession-based style his team prefers.
"I still admire Marcelo Bielsa, matches are played by the footballers," De la Fuente told media.
"It was going to be a very demanding match, and we have to accept the circumstances. It's not the most comfortable type of match, but that's what referees are for. They pushed us to the limit, played extremely rough, and we rose to the occasion.
"Every match is different. We certainly have other strengths and we admire other styles of play, but you have to win all kinds of matches.
“Without playing brilliantly, we rose to the occasion. It was extremely demanding, and we maintained a high level of concentration, avoiding falling for many provocations.”