David Villa marked his World Cup debut with a brace as Spain thrashed Ukraine 4-0 in their Group H opening game in Leipzig on Wednesday. Xabi Alonso broke the deadlock in the 13th minute and Villa added the second goal four minutes later. The Valencia striker killed off Ukraine's hopes in the second period from a 46th minute penalty kick before Fernando Torres sealed for the Matadors. Ukraine played the majority of the second-half with ten men after Vladislav Vashchuk was sent-off seconds after the interval. The win put Spain on the summit with three points ahead of Saudi Arabia's game against Tunisia on Wednesday. Spain looked sharp in attack with the trio Torres, Luis Garcia and Villa dominating Ukraine's weak defense. Spain made their intentions clear as early as the 12th minute when Marcos Senna unleashed a powerful drive that was tipped away by Ukraine keeper Olexandr Shovkovsky for a corner-kick
One minute later, Alonso opened the score when he connected with Xavi's corner at the near post to head home. Villa extended the lead in the 17th minute after his free-kick deflected off the wall and into the net. Spain were awarded a controversial penalty one minute after the re-start when Torres was allegedly brought down by Vashchuk, who was given his marching orders right after the incident. Villa stepped-up and successfully converted the ball into the back of the net to end Ukraine's hope of a comeback. Ukraine, making their World Cup debut, continued their dismal display after the break and captain Andriy Shevchenko failed to make an impact Torres completed the rout for Spain ten minutes from time with a brilliant first-timer after being set-up by Carles Puyol inside the area. Spain next take on Tunisia while Ukraine play Saudi Arabia.
