Spain's World Cup squad break camp this morning wracked by self-recrimination after their best performance since arriving in France yielded only heartache at the end of last night's game in Lens.

Even as Javier Clemente, their beleaguered manager, watched his players at last deliver on their pedigree, the bush telegraph was telling him of Paraguay's inexorable march in Toulouse.

The Spaniards rediscovered the form which made them invincible for the greater part of three years too late and against all expectations it is the South Americans who progress to Sunday's knock-out game against France.

Clemente, his expression conveying the enormous disappointment, was shaking his head in disbelief as he went to each of his players in turn to praise them for a superb job on the night.

"I told them that I was delighted with the way they had played and that I still believe we are among the best teams in the world," he said. "I believe we should still be involved in the competition, but I think our first game against Nigeria set the pattern for our misfortune. But I must still congratulate Nigeria and Paraguay, two very fine teams."

That Clemente was able to bottle his exasperation and deliver himself of that judgment spoke volumes for his character. Yet, no less than millions of his countrymen, he can only feel devastated after watching his team produce the biggest win of the championship so far.

Bulgaria, it has to be said, betrayed all the appearances of a team which was merely going through the motions for most of the game. Deprived of the guile which Hristo Stoichkov normally gives them, they were little more than a rabble after a controversial penalty had pushed them towards the precipice within five minutes of the kick-off.

Mario Van Der Ende had no hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot when Ivayio Iordanov took the ball cleanly off Luis Enrique's toe but then couldn't prevent himself running into the Spaniard.

Under the letter of the law being implemented here, it was a penalty and Fernando Hierro, who had earlier gone close with a free kick, drove it exultantly into the corner of the net.

Spain, in last night's mood, are an exciting team and the certainty is that had they got their game together earlier, they would not be flattered by a place in the last eight of the competition.

For all the pressures building up around him, Clemente is also deserving of an accolade for having the courage to leave Raul out of his team to accommodate the gifted Real Madrid player Francisco Morientes.

Morientes grabbed the opportunity to show that he is capable of delivering at the highest level of international football by scoring twice in the second half to convert a 2-0 interval lead, into an unassailable advantage.

The initial damage, however, was wrought by the immensely skilful Enrique, who scampered at will through the heart of a normally solid Bulgarian defence and was rewarded with a superb goal in the 18th minute.

Emil Kostadinov got one back for Bulgaria in the 60th minute and on two subsequent occasions threatened to embarrass Zubizarreta still further.

But in the end, the Spaniards were toying with their opposition with Kiko, a substitute, adding two more goals. The first of them came when the ball came back off the crossbar and then struck the back of goalkeeper Zdrayko Zdravkov to finish in the net.

It also finished off Bulgarian manager Hristo Bonev, who resigned after the match.