كتب : Mohamed Sabe
Goals from in-form Roman Pavlyuchenko and Andrei Arshavin, who missed the first two games through suspension, sealed the deal for Guus Hiddink's side.
Meanwhile, EURO 2004 champions Greece exited the tournament from the first round without a single point. But it was thanks to Angelos Haristeas that they title holders did not go home scoreless.
Haristeas, who scored the winner in the Euro 2004 final, put Greece ahead in Salzburg before Spain's reserve side scored twice through Ruben de la Red and Daniel Guiza to win 2-1.
Man of the Day: Andrei Arshavin
Hiddink took a huge risk by fielding Arshavin who was suspended for the first two games.
"Andrei Arshavin is a player who makes quick decisions and who can create danger," Hiddink told reporters after the game.
"He can turn left or right and knows immediately where the opponent is. He lacked match fitness but the reason I brought him here was that he could make a difference and we were aiming for him to make that difference in this, our last [Group D] game."
Hiddink was absolutely right as the Zenit St. Petersburg made his presence felt from the first minutes.
Arshavin created a host of chances for his teammates and made five attempts on goal, 3 of which were on target.
He sealed the victory for the Russians when he connected with a Yuri Zhirkov cross to slot home from close range in the 50th minute.
Goal of the Day: Ruben de la Red for Spain
Even though fielded a second-string side against Greece, they proved that the entire squad has a winning mentality.
Trailing 1-0 at halftime, the Spanish players emerged from the locker room a completely different team.
De la Red, who played for Getafe last season, leveled for Spain on minute after the hour.
Cesc Fabregas chipped the ball to Guiza who in turn headed the ball back to the onrushing De la Red who powered the ball past the helpless Antonis Nikopolidis.
It was De la Red's first goal in Spain's colors.
Play of the Day: Arshavin cries during national anthem
It is always special to represent your country on the top level, especially on the emotional level. For Arshavin, his absence from the first two games through suspension almost cost Russia a place in the quarter-finals.
So it was no surprise to see Russian star Arshavin in tears during his country's national anthem, and the Zenit player made it clear he meant it by giving a virtuoso performance during the game.
Quote of the Day: Guus Hiddink
Russia coach Guus Hiddink had claimed that his players have been very naïve in their first game against Spain and hoped that they can mature in the following two games against Greece and Sweden.
The players did not let down their Dutch coach.
"I told them to fight or go home – they had to make that choice and they chose to fight and play with their hearts and I am proud of them," said the seasoned manager.
"I am especially proud of my team for their achievements and for the progress we have made in a few days," he added.