Turkiye 0-6 Spain: Merino hat-trick leads the way in qualifying rout

Mikel Merino scored a hat-trick as Spain ran riot to stay perfect in their World Cup qualifying campaign with a 6-0 thrashing of Turkiye at Medas Konya Buyuksehir Stadyumu. 

There was also a treble of a different kind on Sunday, with Mikel Oyarzabal registering a trio of assists, two of which were for Merino, to help clinch an emphatic triumph. 

It took Spain six minutes to open the scoring through Pedri, who skipped past Hakan Calhanoglu before curling the ball past Ugurcan Cakir and into the bottom-right corner.

Turkiye responded quickly and saw Kerem Akturkoglu go within inches of restoring parity, but the hosts were made to pay for that miss less than a minute later by Merino

The Arsenal midfielder rounded off a sensational free-flowing move, which saw Nico Williams and Oyarzabal combining brilliantly in the box before Merino found the far corner. 

Spain put the result beyond doubt in first-half stoppage time when Pedri pulled the ball back for Merino to finish first time.

Ferran Torres, who replaced Williams late in the first half, got in on the act after the break, concluding a fast counter-attack by squeezing his shot underneath Cakir. 

And Merino completed his hat-trick in style, collecting Lamine Yamal's pass before picking out the top-left corner with a sensational curling effort from 25 yards out. 

Pedri, after opening the scoring, wrapped it up it just after the hour following more good work from Oyarzabal. 

Data Debrief: Sensational Spain sparkle in attack

Spain's first two fixtures of their qualifying campaign have brought nine goals, though it is hardly any surprise given their star-studded forward line, with their clinical display in the final third showcasing why they will be among the favourites in the United States next year. 

Luis de la Fuente's side ended the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 2.42 from their 21 shots to Turkiye's 0.54 from their nine attempts, but it was Merino and Oyarzabal who stole the show for Spain, who are now on a 26-game unbeaten run in competitive matches (W21 D5), the second-best such streak in their history.

Indeed, Merino became only the second midfielder to score a hat-trick for Spain's senior men's team in all competitions in the last 15 years, after Isco did so against Argentina back in March 2018. 

Oyarzabal, meanwhile, has now registered nine goal involvements for his country (four goals, five assists) in 2025. No player has managed more among European players across all competitions this calendar year.