The Chelsea striker scored twice as the European champions thrashed an Irish team which had little answer to the constant waves of Spanish attacks.

The decision to start Torres had been the topic of much debate following his inconsistent form with Chelsea and his wasteful substitute appearance against Italy.

However, 'El Nino' was happy to silence his critics and expressed his delight at both starting the game and scoring two goals.

"You have to enjoy every moment," Torres told reporters after the match.

"Today I had the luck to start the game, and score goals and enjoy it with the team.

"We saw the normal Spanish team again, and hopefully we can make it into the final."

Spain now sit top of Euro 2012 Group C on goal difference after drawing level on points with Monday's opponents Croatia.