Soccer: World Cup

06:54 PM CDT on Friday, June 23, 2006

Associated Press

KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany – You know a coach is aiming high when he scolds a winning team.

Spain's Luis Aragones was far from satisfied with his team's 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia, even though it was accomplished with nearly all substitutes.

"In every match there are positives and negatives, and the second half was definitely a negative for us. We fell apart," Aragones said.

Center back Juanito Gutierrez headed in the winner in the 36th minute as Spain clinched first place in Group H on Friday. The Spaniards play France on Tuesday in Hanover.

The result extended Spain's unbeaten streak under Aragones to 25 matches, while Saudi Arabia exited its fourth consecutive World Cup with only one point from its opening draw with Tunisia.

Yet Aragones expected more from his fringe players, who were given a chance to shine as the regulars rested. He fielded a brand new lineup, with seven players that had never played a World Cup match.

"In the first half we were good, we created many chances," Aragones said. "The Saudis played an excellent match in the second half – much better than we were.

"They deserved to score a goal. We could have, in fact, lost."

Striker Joaquin Sanchez, Jose Antonio Reyes and Juanito had good games, but it's doubtful whether any of the other players impressed Aragones enough to be considered for a spot in the starting lineup in the knockout stage.

Spain scored when Reyes sent a curling free kick from the left flank and Juanito, outsmarting the defense, connected with a perfectly timed header that stunned goalkeeper Mabrouk Zayed. It was Juanito's second goal for Spain.

"It was my debut and the best way to celebrate it is to score, and even better if it helps the team win," Juanito said. "I don't know what happened to us in the second half. We kept losing possession in the midfield and close to our goal and we lost control of the match."

Zayed stopped the Spaniards from taking a bigger lead just before halftime, saving a barrage of shots from Reyes, David Albelda and Joaquin.

Spain's all-time leading scorer Raul Gonzalez had a fairly uneventful first half and was replaced by David Villa after the break.

The "Red Fury" nearly got a second goal when Villa, inside the penalty box, dropped the ball back to fullback Antonio Lopez, who angled a dangerous shot to the far post. Zayed tipped the ball to corner.

But Saudi Arabia came out with more ambition in the second half and broke Spain's dominance.

Spanish keeper Santiago Canizares, filling in for Iker Casillas, was tested for the first time 12 minutes into the second half when he saved Hussein Abdul-Ghani's outside shot.

Saad al-Harthi had Saudi Arabia's best chance to equalize when he was set up in the penalty box in the 89th by Mohammed Noor, but his shot sailed over the crossbar.

"We had no luck in getting a draw, but my players fought for the entire match," Saudi Arabia's Brazilan coach Marcos Paqueta said.

"Spain played with the reserve side, but they're all experienced players. We made one mistake and they scored and from then on we had to chase the game."

Spain's top scorer in the tournament, Fernando Torres, came on with 25 minutes to go, and managed a few dangerous runs, but couldn't get the ball past Zayed.

The win capped a strong group stage for the Spaniards, and buoyed the World Cup hopes of a nation that historically has not produced in international soccer. Despite being a powerhouse at the club level, Spain has not gotten past a World Cup quarterfinal since finishing fourth in 1950.

Spain routed Ukraine 4-0 in the opener, but appeared headed for an unpleasant surprise after conceding an early goal against Tunisia. Two second-half goals by Torres and one by Raul put the Spaniards back on track.

The Saudis looked strong in their 2-2 opener against Tunisia, but collapsed in a 4-0 loss to Ukraine.

"The team has benefited from this experience, and from being here, but they need more," Paqueta said.

Soccer was banned until 1951 in the oil-rich desert nation, which has failed to advance from the group stage since being knocked out in the second round in its first World Cup in 1994.