Spain gave Australia a taste of their own medicine while exhibiting their famed speed and counter-attacking ability for a comprehensive 3-1 victory�in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

The Aussies, playing a typically attacking game that left them open at the back, had no answer to the sparkling hockey that the Spaniards displayed.

They definitely missed the creativity of centre-half Paul Gaudoin, who is absent due�to injury.

On the comeback trail after a few years in the backrow of international hockey, Spain struck telling blows through� Victor Sojo (13th minute) and Santiago Freixa (49th, 58th) for their first win in two outings.

The Aussies, runners-up to Germany in the 2002 World Cup at the same National Stadium, marked their presence with a 26th minute strike by Travis Brooks, who converted a penalty corner.

Sojo shook the Aussies, playing their first game in the tournament, by putting home a Ramon Alegre pass while Brooks restored parity as the teams took the break at 1-1.

In the second-half, the Spaniards stepped up the pace and two lightning counter-attacks fetched them as many goals from the opportunistic Freixa.

Freixa first deflected a hard centre from the left by Jaime Perez and then broke through on his own from the�centre-line for a great goal.