Sarajevo - Spain completed a perfect World Cup qualifying campaign on Wednesday by thrashing hapless Bosnia 5-2 in snowy Sarajevo. Alvaro Negredo, standing in for the injured Fernando Torres, led the rout with two goals, his first in international football.
Gerard Pique, David Silva and Juan Mata scored Spain's other goals, Edin Dzeko and Zvjezdan Misimovic pulled back late consolation goals for the hosts.
Spain are the only team to have won all 10 of their matches in the five-team European groups. The latest handsome win confirms their status as one of the favourites to win next year's World Cup.
Vicente del Bosque's team finishes top of Group 5 with 30 points and qualify directly for their ninth successive finals. Bosnia finish second on 19 points and go into the play-offs.
This is the first time that Bosnia have reached the play-offs. They will need to tighten up their defence quickly if they hope to reach the finals.
"We wanted to win our last game and so maintain a perfect record," said Mata. "Now we will go to South Africa with a lot of confidence."
After the win Mata and the other Spanish players threw their shirts into the stands to the Spanish soldiers present in the Olympic Stadium, part of the Spanish peace-keeping detachment based in Bosnia.
Pique gave Spain the lead in the 13th minute by heading in a high free-kick from Xabi Alonso. Just one minute later Silva made it 2-0 with his deft left foot, on a pass from Negredo.
Five minutes into the second half Negredo made it 3-0 with a fierce left-foot drive. The Sevilla hitman then added a fourth by turning in a centre from Albert Riera.
Mata made it 5-0 in the 89th minute after another through-ball from man-of-the-match Negredo, taking advantage of yet more sloppy defending from the hosts.
Spain understandably then relaxed, allowing Dzeko and Misimovic to score consolation goals that finally gave the home fans something to shout about.
