Golden boy Gavi arrives in style

DOHA — Spain laid down the gauntlet to its World Cup rivals in a scintillating 7-0 annihilation of Costa Rica on Wednesday, with the match also announcing the arrival of hotly tipped teen talent Gavi on the global stage.

At 18 years and 110 days, Gavi became the youngest World Cup scorer since Pele, in 1958, and the third youngest in the tournament's history when he smashed in a first-time finish from Alvaro Morata's cross that crashed in off the inside of the post.

"It's the best of my dreams, I never imagined this," said Gavi. "I'm delighted to be achieving this."

It capped a man-of-the-match display from the Barcelona youth product who linked brilliantly in midfield with fellow Camp Nou-based teenager Pedri, 19.

And Spain head coach Luis Enrique is sure he has on his hands a player who will become one of the best in the world.

"He's a unique player, a very different player because ... he's 18 years old but he has the personality of an experienced player," he said.

"We're happy to have him in the team and we think he's going to be one of the stars of world soccer."

And the demanding coach still expects Gavi to improve.

"I hope he will go and play every time better and try to be aggressive with the ball and without the ball," said Luis Enrique, who added that Gavi "needs only a bit of poise and calm at times".

Gavi was the pick of a bunch of supremely gifted young players who contributed to a stunning performance in which Spain did not give up a single corner or shot on goal while dominating possession.

He linked up particularly well with Pedri, with the pair reminiscent of the legendary partnership between Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez that helped Spain become world champion in 2010.

Pedri provided the pass for Dani Olmo's opening goal.

"I'm very happy to win it and delighted to be MVP. We played a great game, well done everyone," said Gavi.

"Pedri and I are very good friends off the pitch and on the pitch. There is not much to say, he's a spectacular player and it's very easy to play alongside him."

Pass masters

Not long after Japan surprised Germany 2-1 in the other Group E match, Spain's young squad avoided any chance of an upset with Olmo, Marco Asensio and Ferran Torres scoring a goal each in the first half. Torres, Gavi, Carlos Soler and Morata added to the lead in the second half.

In addition to Gavi's mark, Olmo's goal was the 100th at World Cups for La Roja, which became the sixth nation to score more than 100 times in the tournament.

It was the first time Spain scored seven goals in a World Cup match, and the first time a team completed 1,000 passes in a 90-minute game at the tournament.

"Our only goal is to control the game continuously, and to do that you need to have the ball," said Luis Enrique.

With Gavi and Pedri on the team sheet, Spain also became the first European nation with two teenagers in the starting lineup of a World Cup match in 60 years, according to statistics platform Opta.

Gavi and Pedri were among the many youngsters picked by Luis Enrique in a revamped squad in Qatar — the third-youngest team among the 32 nations, after the United States and Ghana.

The young duo helped Spain control the pace of the match from the start at Al Thumama Stadium. The 22-year-old Torres, who is dating the daughter of Luis Enrique, scored his first World Cup goal from the penalty spot in the 31st minute. The others came during the run of play.

"When things go your way like this, soccer becomes wonderful," Luis Enrique said. "We played exceptionally well with and without the ball."

Costa Rica looked overwhelmed throughout the game in its third straight World Cup campaign, failing to even get a single attempt on goal. The team came to Qatar hoping to repeat its surprise run to the quarterfinals in 2014 in Brazil, and avoid a repeat of its winless showing four years ago in Russia.

"We didn't hold on to the possession as we should have done it," Costa Rica coach Luis Fernando Suarez said. "We couldn't complete three or four passes."

Spanish players made it look easy with the ball at their feet, finishing the match with a 74 percent possession rate, according to the FIFA website.

Spain, which didn't get past the last 16 in Russia, is trying to break through with a major title after making it to the final of the Nations League and the semifinals of last year's European Championship. This year the team also qualified for the Final Four of the Nations League for a second straight time. Spain's last major triumph came at Euro 2012, two years after it won its lone World Cup title in South Africa.

Only five countries have scored more goals than Spain at the World Cup — Brazil, Germany, Argentina, Italy and France.

Spain next faces four-time World Cup champion Germany on Sunday in one of the most anticipated matches of the World Cup.

Agencies