Spain showed off their mettle and returned from Turkey with a resounding 6-0 win, while Germany claimed their first victory, a 3-1 victory over Northern Ireland on Sunday, in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
In Konya, in Group E, Spain put on a brilliant display thanks to a hat-trick from Mikel Merino, inflicting Turkey's heaviest home defeat since April 4, 1984, when they lost by the same scoreline to Hungary in a friendly. This leaves Italian coach Vincenzo Montella in a difficult position.
The European champions added this victory to their 3-0 away win over Bulgaria in their opening match, while Turkey suffered their first defeat after a 3-2 away win over Georgia.
Spain entered the match on a 21-match unbeaten run, dating back to March 22, 2024, when they lost a friendly 1-0 to Colombia. This does not include their loss in the UEFA Nations League final against Portugal, as penalty kicks are not taken into account in the calculations of wins and losses.
They appeared poised to extend this streak after taking the lead in the 6th minute with a long-range shot by Pedri, before Merino added the second with a finely executed shot following some excellent team play (22).
Despite some attempts by both sides, the score remained unchanged until the final seconds of the first half, when the visitors added a third goal, also through Merino, following a cross from Pedri (1+45), immediately after Nico Williams was injured and replaced by Ferran Torres, who strengthened his country's lead at the beginning of the second half with a quick counterattack and a pass from Jamal (53).
Merino continued his impressive display by scoring his third goal with a superb shot from outside the penalty area (58), before Pedri added his second and his country's sixth goal with an assist from Mikel Oyarzabal (63).
In Tbilisi, Paris Saint-Germain star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia led Georgia to their first victory, a resounding 3-0 victory over Bulgaria.
The winners of the 12 groups will qualify for the World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico for the first time and will feature 48 teams, while the other four spots will be decided via a four-way intercontinental playoff.
- Germany Regains Balance -
In Cologne, in Group A, Germany regained its balance with a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Northern Ireland.
The four-time world champions, the last of which was in 2014 in Brazil, appeared to be on their way to an easy victory when they opened the scoring early in the seventh minute through Serge Gnabry after a run from midfield. However, the visitors equalized 11 minutes before halftime with a volley from Isaac Price (34).
The Germans had to wait until the second half to settle the score with two goals, scored by substitute Nadiem Amiri after a cross from David Raum (69) and Florian Wirtz from a free kick (72).
This was Germany's first win in the qualifiers after they began their campaign with a surprising 2-0 defeat to host Slovakia on Thursday.
In the same group, Slovakia continued their strong start with a hard-fought and valuable victory over host Luxembourg, scored by Thomas Rigaud in the final minute.
Slovakia now leads the group with six points, three ahead of Northern Ireland and Germany, while Luxembourg remains without a point after their second consecutive loss.
In Kaunas, the Netherlands achieved their third victory in their fourth Group G match, defeating hosts Lithuania 3-2 after a historic 2-0 victory by top scorer Memphis Depay.
After a disappointing 1-1 draw against Poland in their previous match on Thursday, Ronald Koeman's team quickly returned to winning ways, raising their tally to 10 points, level with Robert Lewandowski and his Polish teammates, who beat Finland, who also have seven points, 3-1.
Depay took the record for the Netherlands' all-time top scorer with his opening goal (11), putting him one goal ahead of Robin van Persie on the team's all-time top scorer list, scoring his 51st goal in his 104th international appearance.
The visitors extended their lead in the 33rd minute with Quentin Timber's first international goal, but Lithuania quickly responded, reducing the deficit through Gvydas Ginitis (36). The hosts quickly equalized with a header from Edvinas Gerdewijns (43), but the Netherlands regained the lead early in the second half with a second goal from Depay with a header (63), extending his record with his 52nd goal.
- Belgium Continues its Revival -
Belgium continued its revival with a resounding 6-0 victory over its guest, Kazakhstan, with veteran Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku scoring twice in Group 10.
The Red Devils had to wait until the 42nd minute to open the scoring through De Bruyne after a pass from Charles De Ketelaar, before winger Doku added the second two minutes later after a pass from De Bruyne.
Belgium deepened their hosts' wounds at the start of the second half with two goals in nine minutes. The first came from Nicolas Raskin in the 51st minute after a pass from Doku, who added his second goal and the fourth for the Red Devils after a pass from De Ketelaar (60).
De Bruyne followed Doku's example by scoring his second goal and his country's fifth in the 84th minute, following a pass from Alexi Saelemaekers, who also provided an assist for defender Toma Meunier to complete the celebration with the sixth goal in the 87th minute.
Belgium achieved their third consecutive victory after a stuttering start against hosts North Macedonia (1-1), defeating Wales 4-3 and Liechtenstein 6-0.
Belgium climbed to second place with 10 points from four matches, ahead of Wales, who dropped to third place despite having played one more game.
Belgium is one point behind North Macedonia, who regained the lead with a resounding 5-0 victory over visiting Liechtenstein on Sunday in Skopje.
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