Spain v Costa Rica ratings: Pedri 9, Gavi 8; Navas 1, Campbell 4

Spaniards smash seven goals in crushing World Cup 2022 victory

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  SPAIN RATINGS: Unai Simon - 7. Had nothing, absolutely nothing, to do as Costa Rica didn’t have a single shot on goal. That hasn’t happened since a game between Brazil and Costa Rica in 1990. And that was the first time since 1966 that a team didn’t have a shot on goal. In contrast, Spain had 15. Getty

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  Jordi Alba - 9. As advanced as he plays for Barcelona, his quick ball to Asensio set up the second. Fouled for Spain’s penalty which led to the third. In and out for Barcelona this season, he’s likely to be a mainstay for as long as Spain stay in the finals. Getty

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  Aymeric Laporte - 8. Completed more passes in the first half than the entire Costa Rica team put together. Getty

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  Rodri - 7. Played as a central defender rather than a defensive midfielder. As easy as it will get for him at international level as Spain completed over 1,000 passes in the match. AFP

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  Cesar Azpilicueta - 7. More key passes forward for any defender. Unchallenged in Spain’s biggest ever World Cup win. AFP

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  Sergio Busquets - 8. One of five Barcelona players in Spain’s starting XI. Saw plenty of ball as Spain has 85 per cent of possession and passed their opponents into an early submission. Passed to Alba who was in space to set up the second. Won everything in the air. Reuters

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  Pedri - 9. Costa Rica struggled to get near him and his rapid passing which helped set up the opening goal. A cut above any other player. Getty

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  Gavi - 8. At 18, Spain’s youngest ever player in a World Cup finals, he dropped a beautiful ball in to set up Olmo for the opener. Scored himself when he volleyed in Spain’s fifth after 74 minutes. That made him the youngest goalscorer in a World Cup match since Pele in 1958. Superb technique. EPA

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  Dani Olmo - 9. The 24-year-old Catalan directed a beautiful ball wide after four minutes, then scored Spain’s 100th goal in World Cup finals after a graceful spin/turn. Set up Spain’s seventh. Huge lift for the player who’d been injured before the finals. Getty

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  Marco Asensio - 8. Shot on target was saved by Navas on 8, but he scored Spain’s second after 20, sweeping an Alba cross past the bungling Navas for his first World Cup goal. Out of favour with Real Madrid but played well for his country. AP

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  Ferran Torres - 8. Made it 3-0 with a cool penalty after just 30 minutes. And 4-0 after 53, hooking in a ball past the hapless, hopeless, Costa Ricans. Perfect start for him in the World Cup finals. AFP

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  SUBS: Alvaro Morata (Torres, 57') - 8. Set up Gavi for the fifth. Scored himself, Spain’s seventh. He’s now scored 28 goals for his country. AFP

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  Carlos Soler (Pedri 57') - 7. Slotted in his fourth international goal to make it 6-0. EPA

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  Alejandro Balde (Alba 64') - 6. On his World Cup debut. Crossed towards Soler which led to Spain’s sixth. EPA

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  Koke (Busquets 64') - 6. Assumed the captain’s armband, an experienced player among the young. Getty

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  Nico Williams (Asensio 69') - 6. Came on as Luis Enrique gave his players minutes and rests ahead of their key game against Germany. EPA

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  COSTA RICA RATINGS: Keylor Navas - 1. The experienced goalkeeper had to do better with the second goal as Marco Asensio’s shot didn’t look to be directed too far into the corner. A tough opening game for the Paris Saint-Germain star as he picked the ball out of his net on seven occasions. AFP

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  Bryan Oviedo - 4. Worked hard throughout the match as one of the more experienced players in Costa Rica’s side, but couldn’t make an impact against a dominant Spain side. Replaced in the 82nd minute as focus switched to the next game. Getty

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  Francisco Calvo - 2. It wasn’t clear what Calvo was doing for the fourth goal conceded as he made an initial block before showing a lack of intensity to react to the second ball. A moment that summed up Costa Rica’s defensive display. AFP

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  Oscar Duarte - 2. Conceded a penalty in the 29th minute that left Costa Rica with a mountain to climb. A strong challenge denied Asensio from a second goal close to the half-time whistle. Slow to react in situations. AFP

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  Carlos Martinez - 5. Forced to battle hard against a Spain side that often came down his flank. Could have used more help from his midfield who were slow to track runners. Substituted at half-time. EPA

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  Keysher Fuller - 4. Allowed too much space for Jordi Alba to benefit from overlapping runs and had to help out his full-back more to prevent an attacking route that Spain profited from frequently. AFP

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  Celso Borges - 6. One of the few Costa Rica players able to maintain possession while also winning a number of duels. Sometimes applied pressure in the wrong moments, but it was a difficult midfield battle on the night against Pedri and Gavi. Reuters

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  Yeltsin Tejeda - 4. Couldn’t seem to get on the ball enough despite playing in midfield and gave away possession cheaply when he did, though that wasn’t helped by an overall poor team performance from Costa Rica. AP

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  Jewison Bennette - 5. A tough night for the 18-year-old who spent most of the game trying to keep shape as Spain kept possession. Wasn’t provided service when forward to try and influence the match. AFP

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  Joel Campbell - 4. Tried to link play with Keysher Fuller but a lack of service in forward areas meant he often had to play cautiously. A lack of service meant he could rarely get going in a match that became a training exercise for Spain. Booked late-on. AP

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  Anthony Contreras - 4. Held the ball up well in some moments under pressure but was more often dispossessed as multiple defenders crowded him out. AFP

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  SUBS: Kendall Waston (Martinez, 45') - 6. Won a number of duels that helped relieve pressure. Looked to add a level of physicality to Costa Rica’s defence and was strong in the tackle, though could have been quicker to track Morata for the seventh goal. A solid case to start the next game. AFP

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  Bryan Ruiz (Bennette, 61') - 5. Found similar struggles to Bennette and gave away the ball too easily. EPA

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  Alvaro Zamora (Contreras, 61') - 5. Kept things simple as Costa Rica looked to keep the score down, with the match out of sight by the time he was brought on. Brandon Aguilera (Borges, 72') N/A. Ronald Matarrita (Oviedo, 82') N/A. AFP

Spain made a flawless start to their World Cup 2022 campaign on Wednesday as they recorded a 7-0 win over Costa Rica.

A brace from Ferran Torres and strikes from five other players took them past the 100-goal mark in the tournament.

After Argentina's loss to Saudi Arabia and Japan's victory over Germany, all teams are on guard. Spain took no chance and they were relentless in attack against a shambolic Costa Rican side.

Goals from Dani Olmo, Gavi, Marco Asensio, Carlos Soler, Alvaro Morata and Torres sent Spain into the 100 club of World Cup goals - and a victory by their biggest margin in their 16 appearances in the contest.

"I don't think it was Costa Rica being bad, I think the win was our merit. We deserved to win, taking the game to them," Olmo said.

"Our team is strong and that is the path we need to follow. It was a boost of motivation, for sure."

Player ratings from the match can be seen in the picture gallery above. To view the next image, click on the arrows or swipe if on a mobile device.