However, Spain's performance seemed to be more about style over substance - "Lovely, not lethal," said ITV's Jim Beglin - which could yet have wider ramifications in the battle to qualify from Group H.
Not so very long ago, Spain were regarded as a good bet to enjoy an excellent World Cup, even fancied by many to go all the way and win it. The thought that they might struggle to qualify for the knock-out stages would not have crossed a single mind but, having lost their opener to Switzerland and failed to rattle in a barrowload against Honduras, they still have a lot of work to do.
Portugal blasted themselves into the passenger seat alongside Brazil as the favourites to make it out of Group G but you'd need to have a swinging brick for a heart to fail to feel some sympathy for North Korea. They were unlucky to be 1-0 down at the interval, they even had a few chances to go ahead but, when they opened up and chased the game, the Portuguese ruthlessly picked them off.
The record books will show a 7-0 landslide for Pedro Mendes and his mates but, just as the scoreline does not reflect North Korea's brave first half performance, neither does it tell the story of a second 45 minutes in which Portugal missed as many clear-cut scoring opportunities as they buried.
Watching the game in one of Kilwinning's finer wine bars, we agreed the result was a bit sore on the Koreans but our discussions were interrupted by a loud "Get in there, ya beauty!" when Christiano Ronaldo rolled in goal number six. Apparently Karaoke Gus had a shekel or two on a 6-0 correct score bet. Of course, his joy was short lived and "Get in there, ya beauty!" quickly became "Ya dirty feckin bassa!" as Tiago headed home the seventh goal.
The significance of the margin of victory cannot be overstated. Meeting Brazil in their third game on Friday, Portugal know they will probably have to settle for the four points they have on the board at the moment. The harsh facts of life are that Ivory Coast, while no doubt confident of beating North Korea, will have to go into double figures to overhaul Portugal's goal-difference advantage. I suspect the Koreans will be hurting after their 7-0 gubbing and should be a bit more stubborn against Ivory Coast.
Switzerland's 1-0 win over Spain was surely one of the big shocks of the opening round of fixtures but the luck they enjoyed in Durban last week deserted them against Chile in Port Elizabeth. The Swiss must regret not adopting a more positive approach. With three points already in the bag, they looked like they would settle for a draw against Chile, confident they will win against Honduras to book their place in the last sixteen.
Mind you, a card-happy referee, Saudi Arabian Khalil Al Ghamdi, didn't help things. Dishing out yellows here there and everywhere, the inevitable red card was produced after just 30 minutes when Valon Bahrami got involved in a bit of a handbag session, the Swiss were down to ten men and thereafter simply sought to hang on.
There was no such caution from the Chileans. Thery know they deserved better than a 1-0 win over Honduras, they went for it against the Swiss and got what they merited when Mark Gonzalez nodded in the winner in the 74th minute. They could have been made to pay for a series of missed chances when Eren Derdiyok shot wide when he really should have equalised in the last minute but it would have been a travesty if Switzerland had stolen anything from this game.
Everyone expected this to be a big World Cup for the African nations but it has been the South Americans who have taken the tournament by storm. The success of Brazil and Argentina is predictable enough but Uruguay and Mexico have shone in the difficult Group A, Paraguay are very nicely placed in Group F and Chile are looking good with maximum points in Group H. Playing Spain in Pretoria on Friday does them no favours so they will be hoping Honduras can frustrate the Swiss in Bloemfontein.
Spain were every bit as dominant against Honduras as the Portuguese had been against North Korea earlier. However, they failed to convert their superiority into goals, which could be costly because it is highly likely the group will finish with three teams on six points, with goal-difference deciding who goes through to the next round.
Fernando Torres was restored to the starting line-up but David Villa was the star of the show, scoring both goals in Spain's 2-0 win. He should have had a hat-trick but sent a second half penalty wide of the post and his team-mates' insistence on presenting him with his third goal on a plate, instead of having a pop themselves, took the edge off their attacking threat.
For the second half Honduras brought on Georgie Welcome and he certainly put himself about and gave the Spanish defenders plenty to think about. However, if Rangers are to pursue their interest in him, I'm not sure Scottish referees will take too kindly to his robust approach. Think Kevin Kyle without the delicate touches (!) and you have the perfect picture of the Georgie Welcome package.
With so much hanging in the balance going into the final rounds of group matches, I'm expecting some superb stuff over these next few days, with more than a wee bit of frustration taking root with the recognition that, thanks to the mismanagement of Murray and Bain over a long period of time, the Rangers' ambitions are limited to checking out the modest talents of Georgie Welcome.
Tomorrow: South Africa v France, Uruguay v Mexico, Argentina v Greece, Nigeria v South Korea.