By The Associated Press

LEIPZIG, Germany – If Spain wants to lose its reputation as a World Cup underachiever, it’s off to a powerful start.

Spain routed struggling newcomer Ukraine 4-0 Wednesday, a sizzling start in search of a title after 11 futile, often disheartening attempts. David Villa scored twice and Fernando Torres capped the romp with a sensational goal off a series of passes.

As famous for its international flops as the finesse and flair of its game, Spain appears on the right track this time. It is on a 23-match unbeaten streak, all under coach Luis Aragones – a nice change for the nation whose checkered international soccer history has been one of perpetual disappointment.

While the Spainards are making their eighth consecutive World Cup appearance, they have failed to reach the semifinals since their posting their best result, a fourth-place finish in 1950.

Xabi Alonso opened the scoring in the 13th minute with a header past Oleksandr Shovkovskyi off a corner kick by Xavi.

Villa made it 2-0 just four minutes later, deflecting the ball off the Ukrainian wall on a free kick after a late challenge by Andriy Rusol on Torres that drew a yellow card for Rusol.

Villa scored again just two minutes into the second half on a penalty kick after being brought down by Vladyslav Vashchyuk, who was ejected for pulling his opponent’s shirt and tripping him.

Down to 10 men, Ukraine had no chance of a comeback, and Torres connected with a powerful right-footer in the 81st minute.

Carlos Puyol intercepted a pass at midfield, beat a defender with a spin and dragback, then passed to Torres. He sent the ball to Raul Gonzalez, who put it back to Puyol on the edge of the area. Puyol headed it into the path of Torres, who had continued running and hit the ball to the keeper’s right side from 16 yards.

Germany 1, Poland 0

DORTMUND, Germany – Shot after shot was turned away by Poland’s goalkeeper and the crossbar. Germany kept firing and got the payoff just in time Wednesday night.

Substitute Oliver Neuville scored on a sliding kick off a brilliant cross from another sub, David Odonkor, in injury time and Germany edged Poland 1-0. The hosts, with a man advantage for the final 15 minutes, controlled the action, only to be frustrated by Artur Borac, who made a handful of spectacular saves.

Poland’s Radoslaw Sobolewski was sent off in the 75th minute with his second yellow card after tripping Germany striker Miroslav Klose. The Germans pressed, but Boruc was impenetrable.

So was the crossbar, which was hit by Klose with a header and Michael Ballack with a kick in the 90th minute.

“We had enough chances,” Klose said.

And one of them finally paid off.

Odonkor broke free on the right wing and his perfect pass was booted home by Neuville. The German players mobbed Neuville as the crowd, previously frustrated at seeing their heroes thwarted, erupted in cheers. “I can’t describe my feelings,” said Odonkor, a rookie on the German team. “When I got the ball, I looked up and crossed, but I didn’t see whether a striker was there or not.”

He was. And Germany had the long-awaited winner.

“The goal came very late, but it was well-deserved,” Ballack said. “We won a lot of challenges. … We were better on challenges than we were against Costa Rica.”

Just as significantly, the often vulnerable German defense held its ground in the shutout. The Germans beat Costa Rica in the tournament opener 4-2 and looked shaky on defense.

Saudi Arabia, Tunisia tie

MUNICH, Germany – Tunisia made sure the first round of the World Cup wasn’t a total loss for Africa.

Rahdi Jaidi’s powerful header in injury time gave Tunisia a 2-2 tie with Saudi Arabia in a Group H game that was also the only all-Arab match of the tournament.

It was the first point earned by one of five African teams at this tournament. Ivory Coast, Angola, Ghana and Togo all lost their opening games.

“Our objective is to be able to go into the last match without having lost all hope, so that we still have something to fight for,” Tunisia coach Roger Lemerre said. “It’s a point won.”

It almost wasn’t.

Sami al-Jaber gave the Saudis a 2-1 lead in the 84th when he finished off a 2-on-1 break. Al-Jaber, who retired from the national team, then was brought back for qualifying, had entered the game moments before. He has played in four World Cups and now has goals in three after scoring on his first touch of the game.

Saudi Arabia coach Marcos Paqueta had left al-Jaber on the bench because the veteran was struggling with a thigh problem. But the 34-year-old showed his class at the first opportunity.

“The entry of (al-Jaber), a very experienced player, was important,” Lemerre said.

The game was a scrappy affair, and Lemerre said his players lacked poise as well as fitness, suggesting neither team will go far in the tournament. Saudi Arabia reached the second round only once, in the United States in 1994, while Tunisia has never gotten out of group play.

Tunisia plays Spain on Monday, the same day Saudi Arabia plays Ukraine. Spain beat Ukraine 4-0 Wednesday.

Al-Jaber’s late goal almost allowed the Saudis to emphatically erase recent World Cup embarrassment.

Four years after an 8-0 humiliation against Germany in their opening game, goals from Yasser al-Qahtani and the veteran al-Jaber put the Saudis in position for a victory – and a bonus of $27,000 per player.

Then Tunisia struck for the tie. Jaidi, a hulking defender, pushed up and was unmarked in front of the middle of the goal to head in Ziad Jaziri’s pinpoint pass.

Each team has one point, behind Group H favorite Spain, which routed Ukraine 4-0 earlier Wednesday.

The Tunisians took the lead in the 23rd minute, when the Saudi defense failed to clear a corner kick and Jaziri thumped the ball hard and high into the top-left corner of the Saudi net.

“They weren’t defensive mistakes,” Paqueta said. “They were just two good Tunisian goals.”

Saudi Arabia slowly recovered its poise, with midfielder Nawaf al-Temyat at the center of increasingly dangerous moves.

It earned a string of free kicks and corners, and Tunisia’s 40-year-old goalkeeper Ali Boumnijel, the oldest player in the tournament, had to dive sharply to hold a dangerous free kick by Redha Takar in the 37th minute.

The pressure paid off in the 57th at the end of a smooth passing move. Noor Mohammed got behind Tunisia’s David Jemmali down the right side and crossed low and hard for al-Qahtani to clip the ball past Boumnijel at the near post.

Saudi players, who had prayed together on the turf after taking the lead, walked off the field exchanging sharp words after the victory slipped away.

AP-ES-06-14-06 1922EDT