La Roja in seventh heaven as they blow away Costa Rica

Spain thrashed Costa Rica 7-0 in their opening World Cup match as Luis Enrique's team make a statement win a tough Group E.

With loud fan support and knowledge that Germany's previous loss to Japan had completely opened up the group, Spain got off to the best start. Sergio Busquets, the lone survivor of La Roja's 2010 victory, and Rodri, a player for Manchester City, ensured that Spain controlled the ball early on. However, Dani Olmo missed an early opportunity after being brilliantly picked out by teen genius Pedri.

Before Costa Rica could catch its breath, the teenager was back at it, gliding past defenders and slipping in Marco Asensio, who missed the target. With only 11 minutes remaining, Olmo made up for his previous error by completing yet another Pedri-initiated move and scoring Spain's 100th World Cup goal. Asensio, Spain's 'Cesc Fàbregas-esque' false-nine on the day, sunk a shot past a dazed Keylor Navas before Ferran Torres buried his penalty to cap an incredibly dominant first half for Enrique's team.

Continuous pressure in the second half paid off once more as Torres added to the anguish of the Central Americans by grabbing his brace from six yards out following confusion in the box.

With 20 of his 26-man squad making their first World Cup appearances, Enrique may have considered this tournament as an opportunity to usher in a new age of Spanish football. As Gavi made it five with a magnificent volley, you could feel Spanish confidence vibrating around the stadium. The Barcelona player's accomplishment of being the youngest goal scorer in this tournament since Pele in 1958 didn't get overshadowed by his midfield colleague Pedri's great performance.

Substitutes in a tortuous eight minutes of added time, Carlos Soler and Alvaro Morata put the final nails on the coffin for the helpless Los Ticos, extending their winless World Cup run to seven.