Spain 7-0 Costa Rica, Hungary 9-0 South Korea & the biggest wins in World Cup history

Spain started their 2022 World Cup campaign with a thumping 7-0 victory over Costa Rica.

Dani Olmo grabbed the first goal in the 11th minute and that essentially opened the floodgates. Marco Asensio, Gavi, Carlos Soler, and Alvaro Morata got one each thereafter, while Ferran Torres netted twice on the night.

Gavi's strike in particular was masterful and ensured he became the youngest scorer for Spain in World Cup history in the process.

The 2010 World Cup clash between Portugal and North Korea was marked by Cristiano Ronaldo ending a 16-month drought at international level, but it would be his only goal of the competition.

Raul Meireles, Simao, Hugo Almeida, Liedson and Tiago (two) completed the scoring in what was the only fixture in the tournament in which the Portuguese found the back of the net.

Poland racked up three wins from three games in the group stage of the 1974 World Cup on their way to a third-place finish, with their 7-0 thrashing of Haiti particularly impressive.

Andrzej Szarmach hit a hat-trick, Grzegorz Lato bagged a brace, while Jerzy Gorgon, and Kazimierz Deyna score one goal apiece.

The 1954 World Cup provided a plethora of one-sided encounters, with Turkey's 7-0 drubbing of South Korea just one of a handful of games to end with one side scoring six or more goals than their opponents.

In fact, in Group Two alone, 32 goals were scored across just four games between Turkey, Korea, West Germany and the great Hungary side of the time.

The 1954 World Cup saw Scotland participate for the first time, though only 13 of their players travelled to the tournament in Switzerland.

After being beaten 1-0 by Austria in their first outing, Scotland were hit by a Carlos Borges hat-trick, while Oscar Miguez and Julio Abbadie each scored twice as Uruguay picked their over-matched opponents apart.

The 2002 World Cup opened with an emphatic 8-0 thrashing of Saudi Arabia for Rudi Voeller's Germany.

The victory was inspired by a Miroslav Klose hat-trick, with Michael Ballack, Carsten Jancker, Thomas Linke, Oliver Bierhoff and Bernd Schneider also on target.

Uruguay played just one group game at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil, after France withdrew from the tournament, citing concerns over travel time. 

The Celeste hammered Bolivia to progress to the next round, with Oscar Miguez scoring three of their eight goals.

Uruguay would go on to win the title, stunning hosts Brazil at the Maracana, and Miguez ended the competition as the second-highest scorer behind Ademir.

The 1938 World Cup saw Sweden paired with Cuba in the quarter-finals – a game which ended in humiliation for the latter.

Harry Andersson and Gustav Wetterstrom each scored a hat-trick, with Tore Keller and Arne Nyberg also getting on the scoresheet.

Zaire were the only African team at the 1974 World Cup and competed in the finals amid a backdrop of dictatorial controversy back at home. 

Their hopes of glory quickly collapsed, first losing to Scotland and then falling to a 9-0 thrashing at the hands of Yugoslavia.

Hungary topped Group Two at the 1954 World Cup, thanks in part to their 9-0 drubbing of South Korea in their second outing in Zurich, with the legendary Ferenc Puskas scoring twice.

However, despite storming their way into the final, the 'Magnificent Magyars' were upset by West Germany in 'The Miracle of Bern', losing 3-2 to a team that they had beaten 8-3 in the first round.

El Salvador's qualification for the 1982 World Cup was a miracle in itself, with civil war tearing the country apart at the time.

Laszlo Kiss scored three times in seven minutes, thus becoming the first – and still only – substitute to score a treble at the tournament. It also unsurprisingly remains the quickest hat-trick in World Cup history.

However, despite Kiss' heroics, Hungary were fell in the first round, after losing to Argentina in their next outing and then being held to a draw by Belgium.