Spain 2-2 Turkiye: European champions seal top spot in World Cup qualifying
Spain's long unbeaten run was at risk when they went 2-1 down to Turkiye, but Mikel Oyarzabal ensured they finished top of Group E.
Spain preserved their long unbeaten run to ensure they topped World Cup qualifying Group E by three points after a 2-2 draw with Turkiye.
La Roja were all but sure of their spot at next year's tournament before kick-off in Seville on Tuesday, with Turkiye requiring a huge swing in goal difference to stand a chance of finishing top of the group.
Dani Olmo's excellent touch and finish got Spain off to a flying start in the fourth minute, but Luis de la Fuente's team failed to build on their lead, with Altay Bayindir impressive in Turkiye's goal.
Against the run of play, Turkiye drew level in the 42nd minute when Deniz Gul capitalised on sloppy defending from a set-piece.
And Spain's unbeaten streak looked in real danger as Salih Ozcan drilled a brilliant effort into the bottom-left corner early in the second half.
Yet Mikel Oyarzabal bundled home just six minutes later to restore parity, and though Spain were denied a perfect record in qualifying, with Samu Aghehowa heading over from inside the box and Fermin Lopez seeing a goal disallowed late on, they nevertheless confirmed their place in the United States, Canada and Mexico without too much fuss.
Data Debrief: Spain's run rolls on
It is now 31 competitive games unbeaten for Spain, which matches the longest run set by a team that has won the World Cup (previously by Italy), with De la Fuente taking charge of 26 of those (W20 D6).
Oyarzabal, meanwhile, finished this qualifying campaign on 10 goal involvements, trailing only Erling Haaland (18) and Memphis Depay (12) among European players.
And Oyarzabal is one of just three players, along with Ferran Torres and Alvaro Morata, to have scored more goals for Spain than Olmo (12) since the latter made his debut in November 2019.
