Spain completed more passes in the first half against Costa Rica on Wednesday than any nation has done in a single World Cup match since 1966.

537 successful passes in first 45 minutesBreaks Germany’s record by more than 100Spain were 3-0 up by half-time

WHAT HAPPENED? Spain put on a vintage passing display that Costa Rica couldn’t handle. They don’t have the same expectations of the famous 2010 team that won the tournament, but it’s becoming clear they could be a threat in Qatar.

537 – Most successful passes in the 1st half of a World Cup game (since 1966) :

?Spain v Costa Rica today – 537
?Germany v Japan today – 422
?Spain v Russia in 2018 – 395

Tiki-taka. #ESPCRC pic.twitter.com/QKbG4doCzE

— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 23, 2022

THE BIGGER PICTURE: Dani Olmo, Marco Asensio and Ferran Torres supplied the first-half goals for Spain, allowing coach Luis Enrique to sub out his star names early in the second half to protect them from injury with the job already done.

WHAT NEXT FOR SPAIN? A desperate Germany, who lost to Japan, awaits Spain on Sunday.

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