For a long time Spain lamented the fact that they were world champions of friendlies but not when it came to the actual tournaments, so there will be a reluctance to fall into the old, momentarily forgotten trap of reading too much into results such as this.

The optimism will be inevitable, though, after their performances in Düsseldorf on Friday and against Argentina on Tuesday night – even if their opponents were without Lionel Messi, the one man who can often seem like the entire team. He watched from the stands as his team-mates were defeated 6-1 with a hat-trick from Isco and one each from Diego Costa, Thiago Alcântara and Iago Aspas.

Unable to escape the group in Brazil four years ago, incapable of winning a knockout game at Euro 2016, Spain look like the Spain that won three tournaments in a row. Only some of those footballers are still around – Andrés Iniesta and Sergio Ramos started, while David Silva had been released after the game in Germany and Sergio Busquets was injured – but the identity remains. It has been recovered by Julen Lopetegui.

Argentina, meanwhile, are yet to find theirs. Without Messi – without Angel Di María, Sergio Agüero and Paulo Dybala either – it felt as if there was not much point seeking it here. Time is running out to build a mechanism that works. There was little here to offer optimism for the Argentinians in Madrid who made this an occasion, bar occasional first‑half moments from Giovani Lo Celso and Meza.

When they came forward there were glimpses of vulnerability at the back for Spain. But there was velvet elsewhere. This game was only 28 minutes old when the olés began; Spain by then were 2-0 up.

If there had been disappointment at Messi’s absence, Isco, Iniesta and Asensio made up for it. Iniesta’s last waltz promises to be something special; the men he leaves behind do too, the transition as smooth as their exchanges. Their positions were fluid and fast, playing together superbly, with Jordi Alba racing up to the left and Koke and Thiago behind them.

Lucas Biglia, Giovani Lo Celso, and Nicolas Otamendi look completely dejected after Spain notched their sixth. Photograph: Francisco Seco/AP

In front of them was Costa. At the other end was Gonzalo Higuaín. And while Higuaín missed the first chance of the game, scuffing a simple opportunity, Costa took his after 12 minutes. Crashing into Sergio Romero as he scored, he seemed to have hurt himself, staying down while the stadium PA operator momentarily held off blasting out Seven Nation Army. Instead it was Romero who had to depart, replaced by Willy Caballero. The opener, like the second, had been provided by Asensio.

Costa was withdrawn at half-time and his replacement made an almost instant impact. Argentina had got one back from Nicolás Otamendi’s header just before the break but the lead was extended swiftly. The third was provided by Aspas, on as a substitute, who dashed round Caballero and pulled the ball back for Isco. Álvaro Morata’s chances of going to Russia appeared reduced then and even more so soon after, as Aspas sped this game up, always involved.

Three minutes later Thiago made it four, the multiple substitutions began and it threatened to get edgy as Argentina’s frustration showed in their tackles, but Spain had still not finished. David de Gea – yes, De Gea – provided the assist for Aspas to make it 5-1 and then Isco completed his hat-trick, departing to a standing ovation that, like so many of Spain’s moves, had been building from the start.