Football Talk - Spain continue to set records - 10/06/09
Spain thrashed Azerbaijan 6-0 on Tuesday night in what was the ideal preparation for the FIFA Confederations Cup starting this Sunday.
The victory over their lowly opponents allowed Spain and coach Vicente del Bosque to set a number of records. They have now gone 32 consecutive games without defeat.
The last time they lost was back in November 2006 when they were beaten 1-0 at home by Romania in a friendly. Spain now have a chance to overcome the record held by Brazil, who went 35 games without losing between December 1993 and January 1996.
It is a target that del Bosque's men will equal if they complete their three games in the Confederations Cup group stage undefeated. Del Bosque himself, has become the first coach in the history of international football to win his first ten consecutive games in charge. In addition, if Spain can pick up two more consecutive wins, they will tie Brazil and France's record of 14 successive victories.
On a personal note, David Villa's first half hat-trick against the Azerbaijanis has now taken him past Fernando Morientes to become the country's third all-time leading goalscorer. He has netted 28 times in 44 outings, just one strike behind Fernando Hierro, but 16 adrift of Raul.
Villa told reporters after the game, It's always great to surpass the records of such illustrious players. My objective is always to score as many goals as possible and I hope that I can hit a good tally in the Confederations Cup.
Del Bosque said of Villa: ''He scored three times and showed he has plenty of desire. People like him know how to cut off things that could affect their future.''