Spain secure semi spot

Spain eased into the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup on Wednesday with a 1-0 win over Iraq.

Villa header enough to see off Iraq

Spain eased into the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup on Wednesday with a 1-0 win over Iraq. The victory keeps the European Champions' remarkable unbeaten run going and keeps them on course for further international glory. Valencia's in-demand hit-man David Villa grabbed the only goal of the game in Bloemfontein as Spain successfully built on Sunday's 5-0 mauling of New Zealand. Villa has now found the target on 30 occasions for his country and sits second on the Spaniards' all-time goalscorer list, 14 behind Real Madrid legend Raul. The narrow victory over Iraq also extends Spain's unbeaten streak to 34 games, leaving them just one behind the world-record of 35 set by Brazil between 1993 and 1996. Although their latest success was not as convincing as a number of those that have gone before, Vicente del Bosque's men never looked troubled against Middle-Eastern opposition. Villa's winner came 10 minutes into the second half, with the red-hot striker left all alone inside the box to glance home a pin-point cross from marauding full-back Joan Capdevilla. Spain will wrap up their Group A fixtures against hosts South Africa on Saturday, but are already assured of a place in the last four.