In the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Spain defeated Türkiye on Sunday. The match was played in Konya, Türkiye and the visiting team registered a big win by 6-0. Spanish player Mikel Merino scored a hat-trick in this match.
Spain played aggressively since the start of the match. In the 6th minute, Barcelona player Pedri scored a goal by hitting a great shot from outside the box. Pressure on Türkiye increased further after this shot. Arsenal midfielder Merino scored his first goal in the 22nd minute. This goal was the result of a fast and accurate passing.
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Türkiye’s Arda Guler gave a brilliant pass and Kerem Akturkoglu’s shot hit the post. However, he was also found offside. After this, Spain completely took control of the game.
Just before half time, Merino scored his second goal. He got this pass from Mikel Oyarzabal. Oyarzabal assisted three goals in this match and kept breaking Türkiye’s defence. The score after the first half was 3-0.
Spain started the second half fast. In the 53rd minute, Lamin Yamal passed the ball to his teammate Ferran Torres and Torres scored a goal to make the score 4-0. A few minutes later, Yamal passed the ball to Merino and he completed his hat-trick by hitting a brilliant shot from about 20 yards. This was the first hat-trick of his career.
Merino said that he was very happy.
“I think everything is starting to click for me and I am starting to finally understand everything perfectly. I know the rhythms in the team. I know the rhythms in the training sessions. I am starting to build a relationship with everyone at a deeper level, which needs time.”
“But yeah, I’m really, really happy. I think this is the right place for me. It’s unbelievable how good everyone is taking care of me.I’m really proud of being an Arsenal player. Hopefully in the future it’s going to be even better.”
Pedri scored Spain’s fifth goal. He scored two goals in the match and kept attacking Türkiye’s defense from the beginning. The sixth and last goal was scored by Merino in the 57th minute, which was considered the most attractive goal in the entire match.
The Turkish team was under pressure. The irritation of their players was clearly visible. At one point, there was a mild scuffle between Guler and Yamal. After this incident, coach Luis de la Fuente called Yamal out of the field.
There was also a negative moment in the match when Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams got injured and had to be replaced before half time.
In the last moments Spanish coach brought in new player Jorge de Frutos. This was his international debut.
Spain had earlier defeated Bulgaria 3-0. After two consecutive big wins, it has reached the top of Group E with six points. Türkiye and Georgia are on three points each, while Bulgaria’s account is yet to be opened.
