Spain beat Saudi Arabia 1-0 to top Group H in their last World Cup group match  in Kaiserslauten yesterday.

Defender Gutierrez Juanito scored the lone goal in the 36th minute when he leapt high and powered an unstoppable header past the blameless Saudi keeper Mabrouk Zaid.

    "Basically, (after emerging from the group,) we want to continue playing our great football. Each team has its dream, our dream is to keep winning," said Spain's coach Luis Aragones after the match.

    "Spain are different from years ago. Now we have great touches of play, good positioning, which make it hard for us to lose the ball. It's our time to shine."

Spain reached the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals, in which they were ousted by co-hosts South Korea in penalty-shooting. Spain, who beat Ukraine and Tunisia to qualify for the knockout stage, looked comfortable, despite resting most of their key players.

    "Spain played this game with reserved players, but they are great players and have a lot of experience," Saudi coach Marcos Paqueta said. Aragones selected an entirely new starting line-up for the match against Saudi Arabia.

    Captain Raul started for the first time at this World Cup, accompanied by Joaquin and Jose Antonio Reyes up front. Arsenal's Cesc Fabregas and Andres Iniesta were chosen in midfield, while 36-year-old reserve keeper Santiago Canizares started behind a new-look back four of Michel Salgado, Carlos Marchena, Antonio Lopez and Juanito.

    Saudi Arabia, who tied Tunisia 2-2 and lost to Ukraine 4-0, need to score at least six goals to qualify while Tunisia must snatch at least one point from Ukraine. But the Asian side found no chance throughout the match and put an end to their disappointing World Cup journey.

    "It's a very nice experience to play here with a lot of fans. It's good for the team to play. And I think this World Cup has a fantastic organization," Paqueta said.

    Saudi Arabians were playing their fourth World Cup in a row. They surged into the last 16 in their debut in 1994 but were knocked out in the group stage for all the following three tournaments.