Salvador (Brazil), June 14: Dutch captain and forward Robin Van Persie added insult to the Spanish team's injury saying they could have beaten the defending champions by seven or eight goals in their World Cup opener here Friday (June 13).

World Cup Special

The Manchester United forward expressed his happiness after his national team thrashed Spain 5-1 in the first round of the World Cup, noting that his side could have defeated the latter by "six, seven, or eight goals", reports EFE.

"We never stopped going and in my opinion it could have been six, seven or eight goals," Van Persie said.

Van Persie scored a stunning header in the 44th and shared a high-five with head coach Louis van Gaal.

"The pass from Daley Blind for Van Persie was fantastic, the finish was great. This is a nice start, but we have nothing. If we do not win our next game against Australia we have made no progress, but now we are obviously in a good position," Van Gaal said.

"There was so much feeling. If you can make a goal in that way it's great...really fantastic. It was great that he (Van Persie) came to me. That is a sign of appreciation and that appreciation is mutual," he added.

IANS