ST. GALLEN, Switzerland (AP) -- Fernando Torres scored as Spain eased to a 4-1 victory over South Korea on Wednesday for a second straight friendly victory for the defending champions ahead of the European Championship.
Torres showed his class in the 11th minute by heading home Benat Etxebarria's perfect cross with his back to the goal at the AFG Arena in St. Gallen, the Chelsea striker's first goal for Spain in nearly one year.
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South Korean fans are pictured during the friendly test match between South Korea and Spain at the Swiss Stadium in Bern, Switzerland on Wednesday. (Penta Press-Yonhap News) |
Spain was in command despite coach Vicente del Bosque having to do without the bulk of his Barcelona players and using several of the players he cut from the final 23-man squad for the Euros. The team's silky smooth passing game still never lost a beat with David Silva and Juan Mata guiding the attack.
Xabi Alonso and Santi Cazorla, who both scored in the second half, came close to adding to Torres' opener before South Korea equalized in the 43rd as former West Bromwich Albion player Kim Do-heon gathered a clearance that came straight at him to unleash a rising shot beyond diving goalkeeper Pepe Reina.
But Spain went ahead quickly after the restart because of a pair of South Korea hand balls, with Alonso converting a 52nd-minute penalty before Cazorla stroked a free kick under the defensive wall and into the net soon after.
Alvaro Negredo, who replaced injured striker David Villa in the Euro 2012 squad, added the last goal in the 80th with a low shot that beat `keeper Kim Jin-heon.
Goalkeeper Iker Casillas replaced Reina in the 82nd to secure his 95th victory with Spain to set a new international record.
The nine Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao players still missing from the squad will join the team on Friday in Madrid before Spain looks to follow up friendly wins over Serbia and South Korea against China in Seville on June 3.
Spain opens Euro 2012 against Italy on June 10, with Ireland and Croatia also in Group C.
South Korea, meanwhile, opens its 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign next month with matches against Qatar and Lebanon.
Torres looked comfortable with Silva and Mata flanking him, and nearly redirected the ball into the net early on before getting the opener to climb to fourth on Spain's all-time scoring list. The 28-year-old's form could be key in Poland and Ukraine as Villa -- the nation's all-time leading scorer -- is still recovering from a broken leg.
"He's happy and he's appreciating his time with the national team,'' said Del Bosque, who used six players that will not continue on to the tournament with the team.
While Mata also came close, Negredo paid back Del Bosque's trust with a well-placed finish after being set up by Roberto Soldado, who was cut from the final squad despite a strong season at Valencia.
