World Cup favourites Spain suffered a shock defeat by Switzerland as South Africa 2010 served up its first major upset.

The European champions from Spain enjoyed almost total control of the game in Durban but were wasteful in front of goal and went behind after 52 minutes when a long ball found its way through to Gelson Fernandes, who bundled it into the net and handed them their second defeat in 49 games.

The result piles pressure on Spain, who was widely tipped to finally end decades of underachievement on the game's biggest stage and Del Bosque's men could now be forced to face Brazil in the second round if they finish Group H as runners-up.

As it was, Switzerland held firm for a truly memorable victory, their first in a World Cup opener since 1954.

Spain coach, Del Bosque says the only way forward now is to win their remaining two games against Chile and Honduras.