SKOPJE, Macedonia (AP) Spain needed two flashes of brilliance to beat Macedonia 2-1 and stay top of its World Cup qualifying group on Sunday.
David Silva opened the scoring for Spain for the fourth straight match before Diego Costa hit what proved to be the winner before the half-hour mark.
But credit for both goals must be shared with playmakers Andres Iniesta and Francisco ”Isco” Alarcon.
Iniesta cued Silva’s 15th-minute strike when he timed his chipped pass to meet Jordi Alba’s run into Macedonia’s box. Alba quickly centered the ball to Silva, who added his touch of class by turning past his marker and wrong-footing the `keeper as he rolled the ball home.