After weathering a first-half storm, unfancied Slovenia looked for a few seconds as if they might embarrass the Group C favourites but Exteberria rifled home after Gaizka Mendieta's magnificent cross-field run.

The result will ease the pressure on Jose Antonio Camacho and his team after their defeat against Norway. Accusations of under-achievement began to resurface but Raul's brilliant early goal lifted spirits.

He pounced to lash the ball into the top corner of Mladen Dabanovic's goal after Michel Salgardo's speculative effort had ricocheted kindly into his path.

It was a blistering drive for the Real Madrid star, taking his international tally to 17, but more importantly it settled Spanish nerves against a team who have already proved capable of upsetting the odds.

Spain should have gone on to dominate, carving out plenty of chances but failed to put the Slovenians to the sword and almost paid the price.

Slovenian inexperience was naturally detectable against Spain. Juan Carlos Valeron moved in for the kill as Slovenia tried to pass the ball out of defence in the 13th minute.

The Atletico Madrid midfielder won the ball and found Alfonso in the penalty area. He dragged his shot wide but it was a warning.

It took until the 30th minute for Slovenia to engineer a worthwhile attack but, when it came, Mladen Rudonja had the chance to equalise.

Ales Ceh and Djoni Novak linked up down the right and Novak's cross found its way to Rudonja at the back post. He took a touch before shooting and enabled Salgardo to hurl his body in front of the ball and deflect it wide.

Zahovic, two-goal hero in the 3-3 draw in Charleroi, had been kept quiet for just under an hour by the Spaniards but he popped up in typical style to level the game.

Referee Markus Merk ignored offside calls against players in the centre as Rudonja broke down the left and, when the centre came into penalty area, Zahovic won the race to the ball.

He poked home his third goal of the finals, and his 25th in 48 games for his country but his joy was short-lived as Spain hit back within a minute.

Mendieta rampaged across the field on a run before slipping a pass into the path of Etxeberria who charged into the penalty box and crashed the ball past Dabanovic at his near post.

Goalscorer Raul, voted UEFA's man of the match afterwards, said: 'I'm delighted to score my first goal of Euro 2000 but I hope it won't be the only goal I score.

'It's hard for the players to play well after a long season but from the moment I joined the squad it has been my mission to go ahead and win these championships.'

Spanish boss Jose Antonio Camacho admitted his team had not played well but didn't care because they won. He said: 'We played better in our last game and lost. It doesn't matter how you play as long as you win.

'People don't know much about football if they expect us to beat Slovenia more convincingly.'

Slovenian coach Srecko claimed: 'There was no element of the game where Spain were better than us. Spain didn't impress me.'

SLOVENIA: Dabanovic, Milinovic, Milanic (Knavs 68), Galic, Novak, Ceh, Udovic (Osterc 46), Zahovic, Pavlin (Acimovic 82), Rudonja, Karic. Booked: Pavlin, Milanic, Novak, Karic.

SPAIN: Canizares, Salgado, Aranzabal, Guardiola (Helguera 81), Abelardo, Hierro, Raul, Perez Munoz (Urzaiz Aranda 71), Mendieta, Etxeberria, Valeron (Engonga 88). Booked: Aranzabal, Helguera.