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Spain desperate for Torres to fire in battle against oldest rivals
It is two years to the day since Fernando Torres seized on a hesitation by Philip Lahm, lifted the ball over Jens Lehmann's sprawling frame and won Spain the European Championship. It is two years since the word "underachieving" was removed from the phrase "Spanish national team". Two years since they carried Spanish flags into the streets of Liverpool and two years since they became everyone's favourite second team.

As they prepared for their encounter with Portugal, a fixture that carries the same level of intensity as an England-Germany match, Torres cut a diminished figure. As he did in the early rounds of Euro 2008, David Villa has carried the sharpest edge to his boots. His partner still seems troubled by the knee injury that cost him the last quarter of Liverpool's season of despair. His manager, Vicente del Bosque, may point out that Torres's mere presence has diverted defenders' attentions and created space for Villa. However, after training at Green Point Stadium last night, Villa remarked that goals were a centre-forward's only currency, in which case Torres has not a penny to his name. But he added that he expected Torres to start cashing in late just as he did in Austria and Switzerland.