Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino scored a hat-trick as Spain thrashed Turkey 6-0 away in World Cup qualifiers on Sunday.
European champions Spain were in unstoppable form in the central Turkish city of Konya, claiming their second biggest-ever away win in World Cup qualifying as Merino scored his first professional hat-trick.
Barcelona playmaker Pedri Gonzalez opened the scoring inside six minutes and later completed the scoring, with Ferran Torres netting the visitors’ other goal.
The quality of Merino’s strikes was remarkable, with his first coming at the end of a superb team move and his second a controlled finish from a Pedri assist. He completed his triple with a curling shot into the top corner.
The one blemish on the night’s work for Spain was the withdrawal of Nico Williams due to an apparent thigh injury, but Luis de la Fuente’s team are already clear at the top of qualifying Group E with six points from two games.
“I’m very happy for winning, to pick up six points, for doing it in this way, and for scoring three goals, which is not normal – the first hat-trick of my career,” said Merino.
The group winners will qualify directly for the finals, with the runners-up progressing to a play-off phase.
Georgia and Turkey come next on three points each, with the former beating Bulgaria 3-0 in Tbilisi thanks to goals by captain Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nika Gagnidze, and Georges Mikautadze.
EPL: Makeshift striker Merino nets 2 goals as Arsenal sink Leicester
A brilliant Florian Wirtz free-kick also helped Germany beat Northern Ireland 3-1 to get their bid up and running.
Memphis Depay became the Netherlands’ all-time top goalscorer with a brace in their 3-2 win in Lithuania in Group G.
Poland won 3-1 at home to Finland in Chorzow with Matty Cash, captain Robert Lewandowski, and Jakub Kaminski netting before Benjamin Kaellman pulled one back for Finland, who are three points behind the leading duo in third.
Belgium recorded a second 6-0 win in as many matches in Group J as they swept aside Kazakhstan at Anderlecht’s stadium in Brussels.
North Macedonia beat Liechtenstein 5-0 in the same group and they are top with 11 points from five matches, one ahead of Belgium – who have a game in hand – and Wales.
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