Merino scored a hat-trick, Spain crushed Türkiye 6-0

(NLDO) – Spain brought home a feast of goals when crushing host Türkiye in Konya with an unbelievable score of 6-0 in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Just in the 6th minute, Pedri opened the scoring for Spain with a dangerous long-range shot. The early goal helped "La Roja" comfortably deploy their typical ball control style of play while the home team was almost powerless to defend.

Pedri opened the scoring party with a superb long-range shot

Spain has the upper hand

In the 22nd minute, Mikel Merino – a name that rarely gets noticed – suddenly spoke up, doubling the gap with a cool finish. Türkiye almost collapsed when Merino completed his double in the first half's injury time, giving Spain a 3-0 lead before the break.

Mikel Merino shines against Türkiye

In the second half, the terrifying attack of Luis de la Fuente's team continued to silence the Konya stadium full of Turkish fans. Ferran Torres scored the fourth goal in the 53rd minute after an exemplary counter-attack, before Merino scored from long range in the 57th minute to complete a brilliant hat-trick.

Lamine Yamal shares joy with Ferran Torres

Not stopping there, Pedri – the biggest hope of Spanish football – closed the match with his own second goal in the 62nd minute, sealing the score at 6-0. A result that was not only a victory, but also a resounding declaration of "La Roja" in their journey to conquer a ticket to the World Cup.

The European champions' resounding victory despite playing away from home

This match marked a sublime performance from a series of Spanish stars. Pedri played brilliantly with a double, while "wunderkind" Lamine Yamal impressed with his speed, technique and of course, a double assist. While the real hero role was Mikel Merino when he scored his first hat-trick in the national team's shirt, Mikel Oyarzabal also contributed quietly with three assists.

For Türkiye, the 0-6 defeat at home was a huge shock. Arda Güler, Kenan Yildiz and Hakan Çalhanoğlu were all lackluster, the defense continuously made mistakes and was helpless against the opponent's fast and precise play.

Spain has a good chance of winning a ticket in group E.

This victory helped Spain lead Group E with 6 absolute points and a goal difference of +9 after 2 matches. With explosive performance, Coach De la Fuente's team is showing that they are the brightest candidate for the top spot in the group, thereby winning a direct ticket to the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Georgia beat Bulgaria 3-0 to move up to second place in the group, behind Spain. Since Euro 2024, the team that split from the former Soviet Union has grown by leaps and bounds.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/merino-lap-hat-trick-tay-ban-nha-thang-nghien-ep-tho-nhi-ky-6-0-196250908060536198.htm