In a game where just about everyone was braced for endless spells of Spanish possession, they naturally dominated from the off.
It took Dani Olmo just 10 minutes to draw first blood and open the floodgates as Costa Rica buckled completely, unable to get anywhere near La Roja, who bossed the pitch with their tiki-taka style of play.
Spain, decked out in all red, ironically resembled Manchester City with the way they stretched the pitch and shifted the ball so seamlessly from back to front. And while they deserve credit for a rampant and, crucially, prolific performance, it must be stressed that Costa Rica offered nothing to combat Luis Enrique's side.
Instead, they could only stand and watch or chase their tails with very little effort as Spain walked the ball around them for fun, completely controlling the game without breaking a sweat and continuing the impressive display right through to injury time.
GOAL takes a look at the winners and the losers from the rout, as well as how Spain's players rated, as they set a marker and emerged as THE team to beat in this tournament.