David Villa gave Spain's opponents at the European Championship a lot more to worry about than Fernando Torres.

Torres scored 33 goals in a breakthrough season for Liverpool of the English Premier League this season, and was considered the main threat for the highly regarded Spaniards. He played well in Tuesday's 4-1 rout of Russia.

Not nearly as well as Villa.

The Valencia striker scored a hat trick, becoming the first player to get three goals in a European Championship game since Patrick Kluivert of the Netherlands in 2000.

"When I think of Villa, it's a name that makes me think of scoring," Spain coach Luis Aragones said. "The Spanish team has the luck of having players that can score. It could be Villa today or Torres tomorrow."

Regardless, adds Villa, the result is key.

"I'm happier for the three points rather than the three goals," Villa said.

In a constant rain at Innsbruck, Austria, Torres fed the streaking Villa for a right-footed goal in the 20th minute. Villa slid Andres Iniesta's slick pass under goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev for his second in the 44th, then completed his memorable output after dribbling around Roman Shirokov in the 74th to shoot past Akinfeev with his right foot.

"Three goals, a hat trick with the national team — it's started well," said the 26-year-old Villa. "We're off to a good start. But there are still two games to go."

Cesc Fabregas added a fourth goal in injury time.

In the other Group D game, Sweden beat defending champion Greece 2-0.

Spain is on a seven-game winning string as part of a 17-match unbeaten streak.

"Everyone knows about the importance of this. We'll take advantage of this momentum and boost going forward," Aragones said.

Villa showed no effects from a right thigh injury picked up a week ago as he increased his international goal total to 17 in 32 games. But without left back Joan Capdevila, the first two goals would not have been possible.

Capdevila found Torres down the left side for a 1-on-1 with defender Denis Kolodin. Torres worked around Kolodin to feed Villa for an easy goal.

Then Capdevila led the breakout on the second goal, finding Iniesta with a crossfield pass. Iniesta left Yuri Zhirkov flat-footed to feed Villa, who had slipped between two defenders for another crisp finish.

Roman Pavlyuchenko scored Russia's lone goal with a header in the 86th.

"(Considering) how much possession of the ball we had ... we were caught out by our own mistakes," said Russia coach Guus Hiddink, a Dutchman. "I hope we can move fast now, because we still have two games to go."<

Sweden 2, Greece 0

At Salzburg, Austria, Zlatan Ibrahimovic found his long-lost scoring touch. Ibrahamovic had no international goals since October 2005 before connecting with a powerful right-footed shot in the 67th minute for his 19th goal for Sweden. Petter Hansson scored five minutes later off a scramble misplayed by the Greek defense.

Set up by forward partner Henrik Larsson on a give-and-go, Ibrahimovic's shot eluded Greece goalkeeper Antonis Nikopolidis, who threw himself to the right and got a finger on the ball before it sailed into his upper right corner of the goal.

Central defender Hansson had a rebound of a shot from Fredrik Ljungberg deflect off his body and into the net while two Greece defenders and Nikopolidis desperately tried to clear the ball.

Greece, an 80-1 shot when it won the tournament in Portugal four years ago, started with seven players from that winning squad. But it showed little offense and never really threatened once if fell behind.

"The Greeks didn't play with heart like they normally do," said Greece's German coach Otto Rehhagel, "and the Swedes pushed us hard. Some of my players were unable to play at the level I expected them to. They tried hard, but it wasn't enough."