A close thing, but Spain got off to a winning start in their bid to retain the World Cup when they beat Georgia 0-1 on Tuesday night. The East Europeans set out their stall early on, with nine players constantly behind the ball. And although Spain had most of the play, they didn't get through until four minutes from the end, when substitutes Pedro and Fàbregas combined to set up Soldado for what was the only goal of the match. It took Spain almost half an hour to get their first real chance, David Silva hitting the post with a shot from outside of the area, and Loria had little to do until he had to save from Xavi and Soldado shortly before half time. The hosts could have scored themselves when Amisulashvili curled a shot against the upright early in the second half, and despite the introduction of Pedro, Cazorla and Fàbregas, it looked like the game was heading for a draw until Soldado finally found the key to Georgia's locked door. (11.09.12)