Reigning world champions Spain took on Tahiti tonight in a Confederations Cup clash watched by 71,000 fans at the Maracana Stadium.
Vicente del Bosque's side were to quick to show their class, with Fernando Torres and David Villa helping La Roja build a 4-0 half-time advantage.
Despite missing a penalty Torres went on to score four, ably supported by a hat-trick from strike partner David Villa.
David Silva bagged a brace and Juan Mata added his name to the scoresheet late on as Spain hit double figures in a 10-0 procession.
Look back at a Group B encounter full of goals and incident with Sports Mole's minute-by-minute coverage below.
Evening international football fans. Thanks for joining Sports Mole as a captivating Confederations Cup continues with the Group B clash between Spain and Tahiti in Rio de Janeiro.
Tonight's Group B game is just about the closest thing you'll find to a mismatch in an official international tournament. Reigning world champions Spain will be expected to stay on task as they take on Tahiti, with the islanders facing the ultimate example of an exercise in damaged limitation.
Tahiti fought valiantly in their first official FIFA tournament match on Monday, a 6-1 defeat to Nigeria. Jonathan Tehau's header early in the second half was a truly historic moment for the underdogs, who played with enough pace and passion to keep the scoreline fairly respectable.
Del Bosque will expect nothing but professionalism and concentration tonight, with the veteran coach given a rare chance to rotate in a major tournament. Spain's strikers will all be desperate to start this evening, with the huge incentive of boosting their international goal record.
BREAKING TEAM NEWS! As expected Spain have made wholesale changes this evening, but are still able to name an outrageously talented starting XI that includes Fernando Torres and David Villa in attack. A full look at both teams will follow in just a few moments.
SPAIN: Reina, Azpilicueta, Abiol, Ramos, Monreal, J. Martinez, Silva, Mata, Cazorla, Villa, Torres
TAHITI: Roche, Aitamai, Jonathan Tehau, Vallar, Ludivion, Lemaire, Vahirua, Bourebare, Caroine, Alvin Tehau, Chong Hue
Tonight's Spanish side is dominated by Premier League players, with all Del Bosque's English-based players starting in Rio. Arsenal duo Santi Cazorla and Nacho Monreal both feature, while Chelsea full-back Cesar Azpilicueta also earns his third cap.
PREDICTION! The underlying question tonight is how ruthless will Spain be, with their record victory currently a 13-0 thrashing of Bulgaria more than 80 years ago. I think La Roja will register double figures tonight, with Tahiti tiring after playing just three days ago.
A relatively full Maracana stadium greets the two teams as they leave the tunnel, it is hard to imagine just how Tahiti's ten amateur players are feeling at this moment. It could not get more daunting than this fixture, with Juan Mata and David Silva primed to run riot.
After a passionate rendition of their national anthem Tahiti are as ready as they'll ever to be to take on the world's best international team. Each Tahiti player has presented their Spanish counterpart with a small pendant before kickoff, will that be enough to see La Roja take things easy this evening? Highly unlikely!
Here we go, Tahiti get this clash underway and immediately smash the ball out towards the corner flag. Spain take quickly and keep possession deep, roundly booed by a Brazilian crowd favouring the underdogs in the process. A long ball in search of Villa finds the forward offside, with Tahiti playing a very high offside line.
GOAL! Spain 1-0 Tahiti (Torres)
Tahiti venture forward as Aitamai's cross is blocked to safety by Ramos, but Spain are quick to regain possession and march into the final third. Mata, Martinez and Monreal all enjoy early touches, with Torres played through. The forward comes inside and aims low a low shot to the near post, with his shot strong enough to deceive goalkeeper Roche, who dived the wrong way too early. 1-0 Spain, expect plenty more to follow!
Torres looks in no mood to be charitable, driving forward again from a wide position and crossing into the penalty area. Roche is just able to palm clear under pressure, with Tahiti defending the following corner kick with relative composure.
Varihua gives his less experienced Tahiti teammates a break by driving forward, forcing a throw thanks to an interception by Azpilicueta. Cazorla then gifts the minnows possession, with Albiol forced to cover and clear into touch, much to the delight of the Brazilian crowd.
Torres beats the absurdly high offside trap and darts behind a static defence, but smashes over under pressure after electing not to find Villa unmarked at the back post. Villa then has a cutback cleared by Ludivon, allowing the minnows to break clear. You have to admire Tahiti's commitment to attack against overwhelming odds!
Monreal's deep cross into the penalty area is aiming for an unmarked Villa, but the delivery lacks accuracy and drifts through to a grateful Roche. Torres then has a cross of his own headed to safety by Tehau, with Cazorla picking up the pieces to launch another Spain attack.
We have a break in play for Roche to receive treatment after the goalkeeper is caught by a slightly late challenge by Torres. He is eventually fine to continue after taking a painful kick to the hand, with his goal kick headed back towards danger by Martinez.
Lemaire battles hard to stop Torres driving down the right flank, with Roche then equal to a cross from Azpilicueta as he punches clear. Chong-Hue dribbles into the Spain half, winning a free kick for his efforts after being barged in the back by Monreal.
The first signs of slick Spanish passing sees Mata find Chelsea colleague Torres. His quick volley is cleanly struck but just central enough for Roche to gather with relative ease. Chong-Hue then runs at least 40 yards on his own, surging into the final third before rather fortunately winning a free kick, despite Albiol seeming to claim the ball with a well-timed tackle.
Vahirua's free kick from around 30 yards strikes a strong wall, much to the annoyance of a Maracana crowd firmly behind Tahiti. Ramos then gives away the ball cheaply, but Cazorla retrieves possession before just overhitting a pass aimed towards Villa.
Vallar concedes a free kick just outside the penalty area as Torres goes down under a mild challenge from the central defender. Mata takes and crosses from a wide angle and finds Albiol, but his header back across goal is blocked behind for a corner kick.
SAVE! We knew Tahiti goalkeeper Roche would be heavily involved tonight, but his superb stop is enough to keep out Cazorla's sweetly-struck volley from inside the penalty area. Torres then shows a worrying lack of composure in the next attack, attempting to square for Villa but missing his strike partner with a poor pass.
GOAL! Spain 2-0 Tahiti (Silva)
Tahiti's fairly stubborn resistance is broken, but they did manage to go the best part of 30 minutes without conceding. A pinpoint pass from Villa was their undoing, with the forward's precise through ball finding Silva, who made no mistake from close range.
GOAL! Spain 3-0 Tahiti (Torres)
Finally Spain's class is beginning to overwhelm the Islanders, with Torres beating the offside trap before comfortably slotting past an isolated Roche from close range. Tahiti are determined to keep attacking and win a corner kick, which Vahirua sends into the six-yard box. Alvin Tehau beats Reina to the cross, but the striker's effort is sent well wide by a block from Martinez.
Villa looks desperate to get in on the act, smashing a half-volley wide from inside the penalty area after meeting a deep cross from Azpilicueta. The striker knows he should do better from there, but will surely get another chance to improve his record international tally before too long.
GOAL! Spain 4-0 Tahiti (Villa)
A dangerously high offside trap could make this scoreline embarrassing very quickly. A quick cross from Silva finds Villa, with the striker getting in on the act with an assured finish into the bottom corner. Spain have been fairly clinical and will fancy their chances of getting double figures if this pattern of play in the last five minutes continues.
Albiol allows Tahiti a brief moment to relax after conceding a free kick in an aerial challenge with Chong-Hue. Vahirua's cross from the following set piece is aimed at nobody in particular, allowing Spain to attack in numbers once more before the break.
YELLOW CARD! Cazorla picks up a needless yellow card, which is given for his angry reaction to conceding a free kick after bringing down Chong-Hue on the halfway line. Aitamai gets some space and is allowed to cross when play resumes, but Reina watches it all the way and catches with ease. At the other end Villa attempts to find Mata with a scoop towards the far post, but his acrobatic effort flies over the bar.
HALF-TIME Spain 4-0 Tahiti
As strange as it sounds to write given the scoreline Spain were fairly unimpressive in that first period, largely profiting from individual errors and naive defending from Tahiti. The minnows have been brave in their approach but still conceded after just six minutes.
Tahiti managed to keep Spain out for close to 30 minutes following that opening goal, but were eventually caught too high up the pitch in quick succession to fall further behind. In truth Villa and Torres could both have registered hat-tricks already this evening, but the final pass from both players has been below par on more than one occasion.
You have to fear for Tahiti in this second half, with 10 amateurs playing their second match in just three days. Vahirua has shown glimpses of his talent out wide but remains largely isolated, while Aitamai and Chong-Hue also deserve a mention for their constant running in difficult circumstances.
Just a reminder before we resume that Spain's procession towards victory tonight will secure their place in the semi-finals, with maximum points from two matches. The fight to join them is very much on later this evening, with Uruguay facing Nigeria in Bahia. You will also be able to follow that crunch clash in its entirety with Sports Mole from 10.30pm.
SUBSTITUTION: Spain have decided to make a change at the break and rest Sergio Ramos. The change gives Manchester City fans a chance to see Jesus Navas in action as he replaces the defender, with Martinez dropping deeper to cover alongside Albiol.
GOAL! Spain 5-0 Tahiti (Villa)
Mata has a flick towards Torres turned away by Vallar as Spain quickly settle into possession inside the final third. Navas then shows pace to keep a long pass from Cazorla in play and cross, with Villa eventually pouncing to turn home as Monreal passed back into the danger zone. I make that 5-0 with just under 40 minutes still to play!
SUBSTITUTION: Tahiti have decided to make a change, with lone striker Alvin Tehau replaced by his cousin Teaonui. The forward is quickly involved in a attack for the underdogs, but Vahirua's cross in comfortably headed clear by Albiol.
Villa grows tired of probing passes outside the penalty area and elects to shoot, curling high over the crossbar from 20 yards. Jonathan Tehau is then forced to smash clear as Torres chases down a long pass from Azpilicueta, but the central defender just manages to find touch.
GOAL! Spain 6-0 Tahiti (Torres)
Torres brings up his hat-trick from close range, after tapping into the bottom corner following fine work out wide from Navas. The new City winger showed his marker a clear pair of heels through sheer pace in the final third, eventually crossing for Torres to steer home at the near post.
Silva has somehow managed to mishit a shot from inside the six-yard box, with the playmaker failing to deal with a pacy pass from Navas has he once again runs rampant on the right flank. Tahiti are now struggling to leave their own half for any period of time, with tiredness perhaps kicking in.
Martinez delays a pass forward but still manages to find three Spanish players in an offside position, giving the Tahiti defence a rare chance to regroup. Mata is next to attempt a killer pass, with his rather lazy effort blocked by Tehau.
GOAL! Spain 7-0 Tahiti (Villa)
Villa joins Torres in bagging a hat-trick after a horror show from Roche in goal. The keeper lost his footing as he was chased down by Villa, completely failing to gather as the Barcelona striker gratefully tapped home his third and 56th goal for Spain.
GOAL! Spain 8-0 Tahiti (Mata)
Mata registers his first goal of the evening, benefiting from a deflection as Silva's pass fell into his path. The Chelsea playmaker made no mistake, arrowing a composed effort past an utterly dejected Roche.
SUBSTITUTIONS: Just what Tahiti didn't want to see, Cesc Fabregas is introduced to inject fresh legs in the final third as Mata gets a welcome rest. Tahiti have also made a chance, bringing on the fourth member of the Tehau family in midfield.
Roche gets a huge cheer from a sympathetic Maracana crowd has makes a pair of saves, keeping Villa's free-kick at bay before parrying an effort from range by Cazorla. If Spain are feeling particularly ruthless their record victory of 13-0 is still definitely in sight as we enter the final 20 minutes.
SUBSTITUTION: Cazorla drags a shot wide from 20 yards, with Tahiti deciding to make their final change before taking the goal kick. Vero replaces Lemaire for his first appearance of the tournament, slotting in on the right wing.
SUBSTITUTION: Does Del Bosque have any mercy? As Torres flashes wide that question is answered with a resounding no. With just under 10 minutes to play Cazorla is replaced by none other than Andres Iniesta, who gets a raucous reception from the knowledgeable Brazilian crowd.
PENALTY TO SPAIN! The Algerian official awards Spain a spot kick as a cross form Navas strikes Aitamai's hand. Torres will step up to take.
GOAL! Spain 9-0 (Torres) A quite incredible passage of play as Torres strides forward to aim his high penalty onto the crossbar. Within a minute Spain are back on the attack and Torres is desperate to atone for his error, rounding Roche with ease before slotting home into an empty net.
Navas sees a cross aimed towards the near post cleared for a corner kick, with an intricate short corner eventually cleared by Vallar. You can see Tahiti's tired players slowly creeping further forward in the closing stages, in search of a goal that would be the highlight of their tournament surely.
Azpilicueta creates a clever overlap on the right-hand side, flying past Navas to cross unmarked. Tahiti clear but Torres is quickly through on goal, spurning the chance to score as a pass towards Villa is cut out by a last-ditch clearance.
The Algerian referee is roundly booed by a biased home crowd as he decides not to award a penalty as Tehau goes down inside the area. Spain recycle possession and think they've notched a tenth goal from Villa, but after a lengthy delay the forward's strike is ruled out for offside.
GOAL! Spain 10-0 Tahiti (Silva)
An utterly ruthless finish from Silva into the far corner gets Spain into double figures, with Navas again the architect. The winger's cross was initially met by a poor touch from Torres, but Silva kept calm to turn and strike into the bottom corner with venom.
FULL-TIME Spain 10-0 Tahiti
Tahiti get a lovely ovation from the crowd as the clamour to swap shirts with the Spanish stars begins. A warm show of sportsmanship from both sides as they leave the field, with Spain leaving the Islanders to get a great reception after the full-time whistle.
Sentiment aside that was an absolute procession for Spain, with Torres and Villa adding four and three goals to their impressive international tallies. Tahiti were clearly outclassed but fought bravely, fully meriting their reception at the end from a 71,000 strong crowd.
That just about does it for out live coverage of a thoroughly bizarre evening in Rio de Janeiro. Thanks for joining Sports Mole and be sure to check in later tonight as Uruguay face Nigeria in a crunch clash in terms of qualification from Group B. Goodnight!
Written by
Liam Power
Liam Power
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