Friendlies: Alonso hits two, Belarus hold Argentina

Two goals from Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso ensured European champions Spain completed preparations for their World Cup qualification campaign on a high.

Substitute Alonso gave Spain the lead five minutes into the second half of their friendly against Denmark in Copenhagen.

Barcelona playmaker Xavi, one of the stars of Spain's Euro 2008 success, scored a second Spain goal with 18 minutes to go and Alonso added his second in the final minute.

The 3-0 victory gave new national team boss Vicente del Bosque the perfect start. Del Bosque succeeded Luis Aragones after the finals in Austria and Switzerland.

Belarus, who will host England in an October qualifier, demonstrated how they could be a tough nut to crack as they gained a creditable goalless draw at home to Argentina in Minsk.

The South Americans were missing some of their star performers who are on Olympic duty in Beijing, but Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez did feature in their line-up.

Honours were even in a rematch of the Euro 2008 quarter-final between Russia and Holland in Moscow.

Arsenal striker Robin van Persie gave Holland a first-half lead but Konstantin Zyryanov's penalty with 13 minutes to go earned a draw for Guus Hiddink's men, who are in the same qualifying group as Wales.

England's main Group Six rivals Croatia claimed a 3-2 victory over Slovenia in Maribor.

Slaven Bilic's team - who take on the Three Lions on September 10 - trailed 2-1 but recovered with goals from Darijo Srna and Ivan Rakitic.

World champions Italy, who go up against Giovanni Trapattoni's Republic of Ireland in qualifying, avoided an embarrassing home defeat with a 2-2 draw against Austria.

They had trailed 2-0 to goals from Middlesbrough captain Emanuel Pogatetz and Marc Janko, but own goals from Martin Stranzl and Ramazan Ozcan drew the Azzurri level.

Poland - who will face Northern Ireland in Group Three, suffered a 1-0 defeat in Ukraine, another of the sides in England's group.

Montenegro, who face the Republic in a Group Eight qualifier next month, claimed a 3-3 draw in Hungary.

Finland, in Wales' qualifying group, beat Israel 2-0.