Spain opened their 2006 World Cup campaign in Leipzig on 14 June with a commanding 4-0 victory over Ukraine, the largest winning margin recorded in the tournament to that point. Coach Luis Aragones elected to leave veteran forward Raul on the bench at the start, giving Valencia striker David Villa a prominent role.
Xabi Alonso got Spain on the scoresheet in the 13th minute, heading through the Ukrainian defense to beat goalkeeper Oleksandr Shovkovskyi. Villa then doubled the lead shortly after with a free kick that deflected off a Ukrainian player and wrong-footed the keeper.
Ukraine, who were making their World Cup debut, offered little threat in the first half despite fielding Chelsea-bound striker Andriy Shevchenko. Blokhin's side made two substitutions at halftime but their fortunes worsened when defender Vashchuk was sent off for bringing down Fernando Torres inside the area. Villa converted the resulting penalty for his second goal of the match.
Raul came on as a substitute for Villa after the penalty, while Alonso was also withdrawn. Torres completed the scoring in the 81st minute, collecting a through ball and finishing past Shovkovskyi. The result put Spain at the top of Group H and gave Aragones a strong platform as he seeks to guide Spain beyond the quarterfinals for the first time in 56 years.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in June 2006, in its own words.