Villa strikes late as Spain keep on course for glory

Chelsea target David Villa and Liverpool star Fernando Torres confirmed their status as the most potent strike partnership at Euro 2008 as they set up Spain's progress to this week's quarter-finals with the most dramatic win of the tournament yet.

Valencia's Villa, rapidly emerging as the star of the championship and the most sought-after footballer in Austria and Switzerland this summer, was again the show stealer, providing the extraordinary climax to a compelling encounter that sunk the Swedes with three minutes of injury-time already played.

Spain's Fernando Torres (front) celebrates his goal with team mate David Villa

Yet, as in Spain's opening Group D game against Russia, when Villa was the hat-trick hero, Spain owed just as much to Torres and this time the Liverpool No 9 did more than just the donkey work for Villa.

Torres provided Spain's opening goal and was their principal attacking focus throughout. But even he, good though he was, could not stop man-of-the-match Villa from seizing the spotlight with a performance so complete that it will doubtless double his transfer value once again.

With Valencia almost sure to sell the 27-year-old from a mountain village in Asturias, northern Spain, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona will now steel themselves for the mother of all transfer scrambles. What price the pair of them, Torres and Villa? £60 million would not even pass muster as a starting bid.

Three minutes of injury-time had passed and for all the frenzy of a passionate contest, Sweden and Spain seemed destined to share the points when left-back Joan Capdevilla launched a raking long ball over the top of Sweden's defence.

It was the very antithesis of Spain's neat passing game but Villa rushed on to the half-chance with the speed that belied the 93 minutes of work that had preceded the opportunity.

Spain's Fernando Torres, left, scores the opening goal

Head down and darting towards goal, his very presence seemed to bewilder poor Petter Hansson, who got himself in a terrible tangle as Villa sped by him. Eyes locked on goal, Villa smashed the ball past Andreas Isaksson to transform Innsbruck into a fiesta of red-and-yellow flags.

Spanish fans might have been outnumbered three to one by their rivals, but in that moment the hordes of yellow-clad Swedes seemed overwhelmed by Spanish joy.

Villa disappeared under a scrum of bodies, the first to reach him being the equally extraordinary Torres. Iker Casillas, Spain's irreproachable goalkeeper, sprinted a good 100metres to join in the celebrations.

'It was the most important goal of my career,' said Villa. 'It was simply a long ball and I felt I could get there quicker than Hansson. As for being the top scorer for the tournament, that's not important. This was a collective triumph and we're all delighted. We have to remember, though, that we are only two games in and there are lots of good rivals.'

While Spain had not matched the heights of their 4-1 victory over Russia and could not quite keep pace with Holland as the early pacesetters of Euro 2008, last night they displayed a quality that has been lacking in the psyche for years: mental strength. To win in the dying moments will inspire a confidence and a fortitude that may yet yield their first major trophy since 1964.

And while Villa now leads the goalscoring charts with four, it was the man we have come to praise so readily in the Premier League who opened the scoring on 15 minutes, Torres displaying the predator's instincts that now come as no surprise to Liverpudlians. An exquisitely executed short corner, worked between Xavi and Villa, allowed Valencia's David Silva to float in a teasing cross.

Torres reacted first to direct the ball past Isaksson and Villa almost decapitated his strike partner in his rush to congratulate him. Sweden might have drawn level immediately.

Henrik Larsson's pass found Johan Elmander but he could only find the side-netting. Then Larsson should have done better when Zlatan Ibrahimovich's through-ball gave him a chance from eight yards out, but he hooked the ball over.

Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic equalises for Sweden

Yet the momentum was maintained and Ibrahimovich equalised in the 34th minute. Daniel Andersson sent a raking pass to Fredrik Stoor on the right. His cross was perfect but Ibrahimovich made a hash of his first attempt.

Then Sergio Ramos missed his chance to clear, allowing Ibrahimovich to crash the ball in from six yards. He went off at half-time with a knee injury and without him Sweden looked a neutered force.

Spain pressed but was all in vain as Isaksson saved from Silva and Villa while Torres had a shot cleared off the line . . . until the late, late intervention of the man of the moment.