2018 World Cup

Spain must win – Torres

Spain must win – Torres

Chelsea’s Spanish striker Fernando Torres celebrates scoring his team’s second and winning goal during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in west London on October 27, 2013. Chelsea won 2-1. AFP PHOTO / GLYN KIRK RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications.

Fernando Torres said Tuesday that Spain are prepared to abandon their attractive playing style as they look to resurrect their World Cup title defence against Chile today.

“The important thing is that we win, hopefully in our usual style, at the high level that allowed us to win the World Cup and Euro 2012,” the Chelsea striker told a press conference in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday.

“And if we can’t win like that, we have to win anyway, because otherwise we’ll have to go back home. All that’s important tomorrow (today) is that Spain play and win.”

Playing their characteristic tiki-taka possession football, Spain have won the last three major tournaments that they have qualified for, but they were humiliated 5-1 by the Netherlands in their opening Group B game on Friday.

If Vicente del Bosque’s side lose to Chile on Wednesday and Holland avoid defeat against Australia, Spain will be out, but Torres says that the squad are only thinking about victory.

“I think that nobody who’s going to play thinks about losing,” he said.

“We all think about winning. Of course a defeat’s one of three possibilities, but that’s not what we’re considering.