Torres and Spain long-priced for more history at 2014 World Cup
Published:Fresh from becoming the first international side in history to win three consecutive major tournaments, Spain are now 5/1 shots to win the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Rarely has such dominance been evident in a past major final, than in Spain cruising to a 4-0 success over Italy in normal time on Sunday, and oozing class in doing so.
Fears over lacking a cutting edge were dismissed emphatically, as La Rojas became the top scorers at Euro 2012, and raced into a comfortable two-goal lead even prior to introducing a striker.
Indeed, Fernando Torres’ entrance from the bench did spark a further two strikes for the Spaniards, including one for the Chelsea forward himself, who in turn landed the Golden Boot award.
The age of the majority of Spain’s starting line-up will mean most should be present for the tournament in South America, though immense squad depth will further contribute to their difficulty in being beaten.
Juan Mata’s introduction and subsequent goal with his first touch of the tournament last night proved this, and he is one of a number of younger Spanish talent that will be bidding for starting roles in 2014.
They will head to Brazil in two years time with only the host nation more favourable in the betting, as the five-time winners are 7/2 chances.
Meanwhile, it is encouraging that Spain managed to triumph in Poland and Ukraine in the absence of regular captain Carles Puyol, who may be one of the current squad mainstays who will struggle to make the plane to Brazil in 2014, when he will be 36.
His Barcelona team-mates Gerard Pique and Andres Iniesta are amongst those who will still be enjoying their peak years by that time though, and each are likely to remain fixtures in a side whose dominance will be hard to break in Brazil.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
