?Gelson Fernandes' charge before the net awarded Switzerland a historic 1-0 win over Spain in the World Cup group H match here on Wednesday.

Switzerland has never beaten Spain in its past 18 attempts, managing only three draws.

Fernandes, the midfielder of France's Saint-Etienne, stunned the spectators in the 52nd minute when a long ball was flicked back by Eren Derdiyok like a blitz.

The move lured Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas to charge forward. His wrong timing left Barcelona defender Gerard Pique to clear the threat and made the man finally fall down, enabling Fernandes to slot it into the empty net.

Sergio Ramos (L) of Spain vies with Switzerland's Eren Derdiyok during the 2010 World Cup Group H match in Durban, South Africa, June 16, 2010.

The feat put a sudden end to The Iberians' run of 12 consecutive wins as they had been approaching their best series of 15 wins which was abruptly stopped by the United States in the Confederations Cup semifinal last year.

Swiss coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said at a post-match press conference that "I am fully aware that we have made history, the first time to win against Spain."

"First of all, it is a great feeling to get into the tournament in this way, beating one of the biggest title contenders. There are unexpected points, but we had strong performance. It's great satisfaction and precisely what we need," added Hitzfeld.

"You definitely need a bit of luck to beat a team like Spain, but we started very concentratedly," he added.

His Spanish peer Vicente del Bosque said that "Today we did not show our true team personality. It's not a good sign to start the tournament like this, but we have to cope with it. We have to win the next two matches. That's our goal."

On Switzerland's tight defense, Del Bosque said that "everything is possible. You can win in the specific way. We could have scored, but today is not our day."

On the prospect of the Spanish squad, the boss of La Roja said "we know that to play Chile is just as difficult, but we will go to next match with great confidence."

Spain began its campaign with smart passing game in the first half, enjoying comfortable possession and the domination in the midfield.

Valencia striker David Silva fired the first shot of the match in the 7th minute, but goalkeeper Diego Benagolio cleared the danger brought by tame efforts.

A more threatening attack came seven minutes later as Pique diverted the attention of Swiss defenders and gave a powerful thrust before the net.

The nice dance, however, led the ball into the grip of Benagolio again.Although La Roja mounted continuous pressure, the men of Ottmar Hitzfeld held their defense tight.

The first half ended with a goalless draw. The goal of Fernandes boosted the morale of Switzerland to a peak after the interval, forcing Spanish coach del Bosque to put talented core Fernando Torres back to the court as a substitute.

Torres and Cesc Fabregas, both having shaken off worrying late season injuries, did not appear in the starting list. Torres infused new impetus to Spaniards for goal but the time was running quickly.

Xabi Alonso's right-foot shot made the ball just fly off the crossbar in the 70th minute. On the other side, Derdiyok almost extended the lead of Switzerland again four minutes later by shuttling neatly among the defenders. His shot was only blocked by the post, raising the atmosphere in the Durban Stadium to a boiling point.

It was the 50th match of La Roja at the FIFA World Cup. Spain became the seventh team to reach this milestone after Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, England and France.

Spaniards have to collect points in their next group match against Honduras on June 21 in Johannesburg while Switzerland will play Chile on the same day in Nelson Mandela Bay. Chile defeated Honduras 1-0 in an earlier group match on Wednesday.

Sergio Ramos (C) of Spain vies with Switzerland's Blaise Nkufo during the 2010 World Cup Group H match in Durban, South Africa, June 16, 2010.

?Gelson Fernandes' charge before the net awarded Switzerland a historic 1-0 win over Spain in the World Cup group H match here on Wednesday.

Switzerland has never beaten Spain in its past 18 attempts, managing only three draws.

Fernandes, the midfielder of France's Saint-Etienne, stunned the spectators in the 52nd minute when a long ball was flicked back by Eren Derdiyok like a blitz.

The move lured Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas to charge forward. His wrong timing left Barcelona defender Gerard Pique to clear the threat and made the man finally fall down, enabling Fernandes to slot it into the empty net.

Sergio Ramos (L) of Spain vies with Switzerland's Eren Derdiyok during the 2010 World Cup Group H match in Durban, South Africa, June 16, 2010.

The feat put a sudden end to The Iberians' run of 12 consecutive wins as they had been approaching their best series of 15 wins which was abruptly stopped by the United States in the Confederations Cup semifinal last year.

Swiss coach Ottmar Hitzfeld said at a post-match press conference that "I am fully aware that we have made history, the first time to win against Spain."

"First of all, it is a great feeling to get into the tournament in this way, beating one of the biggest title contenders. There are unexpected points, but we had strong performance. It's great satisfaction and precisely what we need," added Hitzfeld.

"You definitely need a bit of luck to beat a team like Spain, but we started very concentratedly," he added.

His Spanish peer Vicente del Bosque said that "Today we did not show our true team personality. It's not a good sign to start the tournament like this, but we have to cope with it. We have to win the next two matches. That's our goal."

On Switzerland's tight defense, Del Bosque said that "everything is possible. You can win in the specific way. We could have scored, but today is not our day."

On the prospect of the Spanish squad, the boss of La Roja said "we know that to play Chile is just as difficult, but we will go to next match with great confidence."

Spain began its campaign with smart passing game in the first half, enjoying comfortable possession and the domination in the midfield.

Valencia striker David Silva fired the first shot of the match in the 7th minute, but goalkeeper Diego Benagolio cleared the danger brought by tame efforts.

A more threatening attack came seven minutes later as Pique diverted the attention of Swiss defenders and gave a powerful thrust before the net.

The nice dance, however, led the ball into the grip of Benagolio again.Although La Roja mounted continuous pressure, the men of Ottmar Hitzfeld held their defense tight.

The first half ended with a goalless draw. The goal of Fernandes boosted the morale of Switzerland to a peak after the interval, forcing Spanish coach del Bosque to put talented core Fernando Torres back to the court as a substitute.

Torres and Cesc Fabregas, both having shaken off worrying late season injuries, did not appear in the starting list. Torres infused new impetus to Spaniards for goal but the time was running quickly.

Xabi Alonso's right-foot shot made the ball just fly off the crossbar in the 70th minute. On the other side, Derdiyok almost extended the lead of Switzerland again four minutes later by shuttling neatly among the defenders. His shot was only blocked by the post, raising the atmosphere in the Durban Stadium to a boiling point.

It was the 50th match of La Roja at the FIFA World Cup. Spain became the seventh team to reach this milestone after Brazil, Germany, Italy, Argentina, England and France.

Spaniards have to collect points in their next group match against Honduras on June 21 in Johannesburg while Switzerland will play Chile on the same day in Nelson Mandela Bay. Chile defeated Honduras 1-0 in an earlier group match on Wednesday.

Sergio Ramos (C) of Spain vies with Switzerland's Blaise Nkufo during the 2010 World Cup Group H match in Durban, South Africa, June 16, 2010.