Spain, the champion of youth, qualifies for Euro 2012

Spain on Tuesday night qualified for the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine next summer after brushing aside a limited Liechtenstein 6-0 in Logroño. It was hardly a vintage performance from Vicente del Bosque's side, his players restricted in their attacking intent by a visiting team set up with damage limitation in mind. However, Del Bosque will have gleaned some satisfaction that his patched central defense did not concede - Spain has not kept a clean sheet in qualifying since September 3, 2010, when Liechtenstein was again the opposition.

Still, six wins from six matches has handed Spain its ticket to the 2012 championships, where it will be the favorite to retain the title won in Vienna three years ago, before going on to claim the World Cup in 2010. Between now and then, Spain has two fixtures to honor, against the Czech Republic and Scotland, with no glad-handing, globe-trotting friendlies currently on the horizon.

Torres was forced to watch from the stands as Negredo scored his fourth and fifth for La Roja

That leaves little time for fringe players to make an impression on Del Bosque's starting 11 - a fact of which Fernando Torres, who didn't even make the bench against Liechtenstein, will be keenly aware. The hero of Vienna's stock has fallen further than the Ibex 35 since his move to Chelsea and he will need to add to his paltry strike rate for club if he is to regain his place for country; Álvaro Negredo added to his opening-day Liga brace for Sevilla with another double in Las Gaunas stadium and is now the back-up to Spain's back-up, Fernando Llorente. The bustling Bilbao striker failed to find the net in his La Rioja homeland - kicking air instead of the ball when presented with his best opportunity - but his service in the past two years has cemented his place as 12th man.

"It was obviously more important for the team and the eventual victory that my goals changed the game, but because I was chosen to start I knew this was another big opportunity for me and I wanted to take advantage," Negredo told Uefa.com.

Torres was forced to watch from the stands as the Sevilla forward scored his fourth and fifth for La Roja in six games.

It is likely that Del Bosque will use the remaining Group I matches to take a look at some youngsters. Álvaro Domínguez, Martín Montoya and Alberto Botía were called up to this squad, although only Domínguez made the bench. The coach took the opportunity in Logroño to give Thiago Alcântara his first competitive start, firmly nailing the exciting forward's colors to Spain's mast. "It was a complicated decision because some of my family wanted me to play for Brazil, but it is a logical decision that I took when I was 16. I always wanted to play for Spain," he said.

That is one of Spain's many strengths; whereas other national sides rely on fading stars, Spain is constantly rejuvenated with younger players. Pedro was the last to definitively break through; Thiago is well on his way. Torres' nickname of El Niño suddenly seems a cruel joke.