Torres scores four as Spain routs Tahiti

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Fernando Torres scored four goals on Thursday as Spain cruised to a 10-0 victory over Tahiti in Group B Confederations Cup play at the Maracana Stadium.

Torres became just the 10th player in Spanish national team history to score four goals in a single match, while David Villa added a hat trick to the cause for Spain, which maintained its place atop the group with six points from its first two matches.

David Silva netted a brace and Juan Mata also scored in the rout, which finished as the largest-ever margin of victory in a FIFA sanctioned senior match.

After squeezing past Uruguay by a 2-1 count in their opening match last week, the reigning World and European champions had no trouble with Tahiti as they peppered Mikael Roche's goal, scoring four times in the first half.

Spain opened the scoring just five minutes into the match when Torres played a quick one-two with Mata and beat his defender to the end line before ripping it past Roche and just inside the near post.

It was Torres' first international goal since the Euro 2012 final against Italy last summer.

Following the goal, Tahiti gained some confidence and carried the play for a bit, but Spain's quality eventually took over and Silva made it 2-0 in the 30th minute when he ran onto a nice through ball from Villa and beat Roche to the far post with a calm left-footed strike.

Torres collected his second of the day two minutes later when he ran onto a nice through pass that beat Tahiti's high defensive line and slid it into an empty net.

Villa finished the first half with a tally in the 39th as Spain went into the locker room with a 4-0 lead.

After the break, Spain continued to pour it on as Villa scored his second of the match in the 49th minute and Torres completed his hat trick in the 56th minute.

Villa finished off his hat trick with a goal in the 64th minute and Mata added a goal two minutes later. Torres got his fourth of the match 13 minutes from time and Silva capped the rout with his second of the day in the final minute of regulation.

In Thursday's other Group B encounter, Uruguay picked up a 2-1 over Nigeria to bring the two nations level on three points apiece.

Diego Lugano and John Obi Mikel traded first-half goals before Diego Forlan bagged the winner in the 51st minute with a superb left-footed strike to Vincent Enyeama's near post.