Fernando Verdasco made light of the absence of world No.1 Rafael Nadal to steer Spain to its third Davis Cup triumph with a five-set victory over Jose Acasuso in Mar del Plata.
The world No.16 won a tense and gruelling encounter 6-3 6-7 (3-7) 4-6 6-3 6-1 in four minutes under four hours to give the Spaniards an unassailable 3-1 lead in the best-of-five showdown.
Preferred by captain Emilio Sanchez over the higher-ranked David Ferrer, Verdasco fought back superbly from a set behind and after slamming the winning shot down the line he slumped to his knees in celebration.
It was a stunning win for the Spaniards who had entered the final day ahead after Verdasco had teamed up with Feliciano Lopez to score a marathon five-set doubles win over David Nalbandian and Agustin Calleri on Saturday.
Verdasco had made a strong start against a plainly nervous opponent, securing the crucial first break in the sixth game of the match and going on to take the first set in 35 minutes.
Acasuso fought back to take the first break in the second set but a dreadful series of unforced errors allowed the Spaniard to break back and ultimately serve his way into a tie-breaker.
The Argentinian held his nerve in a wild atmosphere, twice earning a mini-break before edging towards set point and sparking loud celebrations when Verdasco netted to level the match.
Both men continued to struggle with the tension and swap momentum, with Acasuso's break in the first game of the third set immediately cancelled out by the Spaniard.
The pair would swap breaks again with the Spaniard's serve in particular horribly mis-firing, before Acasuso grabbed the crucial third break in the ninth game of the set, and served out with a blistering ace to claim the lead.
Verdasco would rally again in a nervous fourth set, breaking on a long Acasuso backhand for a 4-2 lead and saving three break points including one fashioned by a stunning running cross-court winner by the Argentinian, to go 5-2 ahead.
Acasuso did his bit to heap the pressure back on the Spaniard, but Verdasco responded superbly, silencing the home crowd by serving out to love to take the tie into a deciding fifth set.
The loss was hard for Acasuso, who needed extensive medical treatment on an apparent side strain before the decider, and when he went on to be double-broken the tie looked as good as over.
For the first time in the match, Verdasco was brimming with confidence and consistency and he served in style to move to the brink of victory. On his third match point, he flashed down the winner and the title belonged to Spain.