Spain
Last Game - World Cup Qualification 2014 (Europe)
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| HOW THEY QUALIFIED |
| GROUP I | GP | W | D | L | GD | PTS | |
| 1 |  Spain (Q) |
8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 24 |
| 2 |  Czech Republic (P) |
8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 13 |
| 3 |  Scotland |
8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 11 |
| 4 |  Lithuania |
8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | -9 | 5 |
| 5 |  Liechtenstein |
8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | -14 | 4 |
| RESULTS | TOP SCORERS |
| Sep 3, 2010 Liechtenstein 0-4 Spain Oct 8, 2010 Spain 3-1 Lithuania Oct 12, 2010 Scotland 2-3 Spain Mar 25, 2011 Spain 2-1 Czech Republic Mar 29, 2011 Lithuania 1-3 Spain Sep 6, 2011: Spain 6-0 Liechtenstein Oct 7, 2011: Czech Republic 0-2 Spain Oct 11, 2011: Spain 3-1 Scotland |
 7 - David Villa4 - David Silva 3 - Fernando Llorente 2 - Juan Mata, Alvaro Negredo, Fernando Torres, Xavi 1 - Xabi Alonso, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Ramos |
Spain qualified for Euro 2012 with a 100 per cent record, making it only the fourth time (France for Euro 92 and 2004, and Czech Republic for Euro 2000) that a nation advanced to the finals of the European Championship with a perfect run in the qualifiers.
La Furia Roja's qualification campaign was never in jeopardy, winning six of their eight group matches by more than a one-goal margin. Their biggest scare was against Scotland at Hampden Park when, leading 2-0, they allowed their hosts to pull the game back to 2-2 before Fernando Llorente netted the winner 10 minutes from time.
The following match against the Czech Republic in Granada was the only occasion that Vicente del Bosque's men fell behind throughout the qualifiers.
| PAST RECORD IN THE EUROS |
| 1960 |
Withdrew |
1988 |
Group stage |
| 1964 |
Winners |
1992 |
Did not qualify |
| 1968 |
Did not qualify |
1996 |
Quarter-finals |
| 1972 |
Did not qualify | 2000 |
Quarter-finals |
| 1976 |
Did not qualify | 2004 |
Group stage |
| 1980 |
Group stage | 2008 |
Winners |
| 1984 |
Runners-up | 2012 |
Qualified as group winners |
Labelled as perennial underachievers in international football, Spain's only ever senior title prior to 2008 was the 1964 European Championship on home soil when they defeated the Soviet Union 2-1 in the final. By winning the competition again at Euro 2008 in Austria-Switzerland, they became the second most successful nation in the tournament along with France, lagging behind only Germany, who have lifted the Henri Delaunay trophy three times.
Del Bosque's outfit will be only the third team - after Germany and France - to head into a European Championship tournament while simultaneously holding the World Cup and the Euros. In Poland-Ukraine, Spain will attempt to become the first country to successfully defend their European crown.
| THE MANAGER | VICENTE DEL BOSQUE |
Del Bosque became the most successful coach of all time on debut with a national team when he won his first 13 games in charge. He also helped guide the country to a new record of 15 consecutive wins, and joined Brazil's class of 1993 to 1996 with the longest undefeated run of 33 matches.
In a combined 18 qualification games for the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012, Del Bosque has won all 18. He has only ever lost two competitive encounters: to the United States in the 2009 Confederations Cup and to Switzerland in their opening game of the 2010 World Cup.
During his first 50 games as Spain coach, he won 42 of them, while drawing two and losing six with 123 goals scored and just 40 conceded in the process.
| THE CAPTAIN | IKER CASILLAS |
Casillas inherited the Spain arm-band from Raul and in doing so, he became the first goalkeeper to lift the European Championship trophy as skipper in 2008. Two years later in South Africa, he became only the third ever shot-stopper to captain a national team to World Cup glory.
The Real Madrid custodian also holds the honour of being his country's most capped player, eclipsing Andoni Zubizarreta's previous tally of 126 appearances. In addition, he has surpassed the same player to become La Furia Roja's record holder for the most clean sheets in the Spanish national team.
| THE STAR PLAYER | XAVI |
The Barcelona midfield maestro controls the engine room that keeps the Spain side ticking with his extraordinary vision, passing range, ball control, and an uncanny ability to find gaps to thread passes through the tightest of defences. The playmaker has always been hailed as a phenomenal footballer at club level, but he only rose to global prominence when he masterminded his country's path to glory in Euro 2008 and was named Player of the Tournament.
Since then, he has become one of the most consistent footballers today, finishing fifth in the Ballon d'Or awards in 2008, and third in 2009, 2010, and 2011.
| THE EMERGING TALENT | JORDI ALBA |
Many Spanish supporters believe the long-term heir to Joan Capdevila at left-back has been found in the form of Jordi Alba.
The Valencia star has already had success for Spain at various youth levels, helping his team to win the gold medal at the 2009 Mediterranean Games and his performances for Los Che over the past couple seasons have seen him heavily linked with a move to La Liga giants Barcelona.
Although he made his debut under a year ago, the 23-year-old could find himself in the starting XI come the Group C opener against Italy on June 10 and is certainly capable of making the most of his opportunities in Poland and Ukraine.
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Matches
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| FR | Spain - Northern Ireland | 06/06/2013 01:00 BST |
| FR | Spain - Haiti | 08/06/2013 01:00 BST |
| FR | Spain - Ireland | 11/06/2013 15:00 BST |
| FCC | Spain - Uruguay | 16/06/2013 21:00 BST |
| FCC | Spain - TAH | 20/06/2013 21:00 BST |
| FR | Ecuador - Spain | 14/08/2013 01:00 BST |
| WCQE | Finland - Spain | 06/09/2013 01:00 BST |
| WCQE | Spain - Belarus | 11/10/2013 01:00 BST |
Active Tournaments
Top Scorers
| Player | Goals | Penalties | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Pedro
Striker Barcelona |
6 | 0 |
|
David Villa
Striker Barcelona |
5 | 0 |
|
Cesc Fàbregas
Midfielder Barcelona |
3 | 0 |
|
Xabi Alonso
Midfielder Real Madrid |
2 | 1 |
|
Andrés Iniesta Luján
Midfielder Barcelona |
2 | 0 |
