Record win-margin for Spain

Demolish Tahiti 10-0 to inch closer to semifinals

Rio de Janeiro (AFP): Spain broke the record for the biggest margin of victory at the final phase of a FIFA tournament by crushing minnows 10-0 Tahiti at the Confederations Cup in Rio de Janeiro. Fernando Torres scored four times and David Villa claimed a hat-trick for the world and European champions at Rio's hallowed Maracana, with David Silva adding a brace and Juan Mata also finding the net.

No team had previously won by 10 goals at an international FIFA event, with Hungary (9-0 against South Korea at the 1954 World Cup, 10-1 against El Salvador at the 1982 World Cup) and Yugoslavia (9-0 against Zaire at the 1974 World Cup) the co-holders of the previous record. Tahiti, who sit 138th in the FIFA ranking, equalled their heaviest defeat - a 10-0 demolition by New Zealand in 2004 - but Spain fell short of matching their 13-0 annihilation of Bulgaria in a 1933 friendly.

Spain will be assured of a place in the semifinals if Nigeria avoid defeat against Uruguay in Salvador later in Group B. The same outcome would also end Tahiti's mathematical chance of reaching the last four.

Meanwhile, Diego Forlan marked his 100th international appearance with a magnificent winning goal as Uruguay closed on the Confederations Cup semifinals by beating chief Group B rivals Nigeria 2-1 in Salvador. The 34-year-old completed a sweeping move in the 51st minute to score his 34th international goal, enabling him to reclaim the national scoring record from teammate Luis Suarez, who had equalled it in the 2-1 loss to Spain.