Spain took one more step closer towards qualification to the Euro 2008 finals next year with a 2-0 win over Latvia on Saturday.

Spain's win now takes them up to third position in the group, with 12 points from six matches, even though fourth placed Denmark can go above Spain if they win their two matches in hand. The victory against Latvia was far from convincing and the Iberian nation needed an own goal from defender Arturs Zakresevskis to kick-start the proceedings, while the second goal from Xavi took a deflection off Andres Iniesta on its way into the goal.

Spain coach Luis Aragones admitted that it was a tough match, pointing out that weaker teams' task is made easier since they always look to defend against stronger teams. "We were by far the better side, but the problem is that these sides sit back and defend in numbers so they are often hard to break down. It was really hard to score, but when we finally did it was easier to take control of the match", he said.

Spain now have a great chance of consolidating their position and put more pressure on Northern Ireland, who have 13 points from 6 games, by winning their match against Liechtenstein, whom they have already defeated in the Euro 2008 qualifiers.

With Sweden favorites to being awarded the full points following an attack on the referee during the team's clash against Denmark, it is imperative that Spain maintain their winning streak if they want to qualify for the finals.