Netherlands Destroy World Cup Champions Spain In Opening Match

Many had been saying Spain could win the 2014 World Cup, and many were saying that Netherlands would be lucky to escape their group. Tonight, the pair faced off in the opening encounter of Group B. Spain took an early lead and looked to control the game, but what happened next left the world breathless, as Netherlands scored 5 goals to grab the 5-1 victory over their main group rivals in Spain.

Arjen Robben and Robin Van Persie were the stars of the show, and their manager, the new Manchester United boss, Louis Van Gaal, looked an expert as he got everything tactically correct in his team's hammering of Spain. A penalty kick opened the scoring for Spain, but goals from Van Persie and Robben followed as Netherlands quickly moved from an outsider to a heavy favourite to win the tournament.

It now looks unlikely that Spain will qualify as they will face the tough test of having to beat Chile in their second group match. Netherlands, however, will know a win in their easiest match of the tournament, against Australia, and they're where they want to be, in the next round as group winners.

Can the Netherlands go all the way and win the tournament now? It still looks unlikely given the teams they've got to beat, but this confidence-boosting victory has done their chances no harm at all. Can Spain bounce back? We may of seen the best goal and best game of the 2014 World Cup, all on the second day of the tournament.