VILLA HAILS TORRES CONTRIBUTION
Paul Eaton 11 June 2008
Despite being the undoubted star of Spain's impressive 4-1 Euro 2008 victory over Russia, hat-trick hero David Villa was keen to pay tribute to Liverpool striker Fernando Torres after the game.
He may have been substituted early in the second half, but Torres' role in Spain's impressive triumph wasn't lost on the Valencia man who was keen to dedicate his third goal to Liverpool's number nine.
He said: "I wanted to dedicate that third one to him because I owed him something for the first two.
"He made the first one and his run opened up the space for (Andres) Iniesta to make a pass.
"There's a lot of talk from outside about whether or not the squad is united. I don't agree with all this talk."
Spain are next in action this Saturday when they take on defending champions Greece in their second Group D clash.