With first-half goals from Mikel Oyarzabal, Marc Cucurella, and Mikel Merino, the Euro 2024 champions rolled to a semblance of victory on Thursday at the Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia.
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Rodri Hernandez and Dani Carvajal, both recovering from severe knee injuries, made their first international appearances under the guidance of Spain coach Luis de la Fuente.
Spain, which won the World Cup for the first time in 2010, is expected to top Group E, which also includes Turkiye and Georgia, to advance to the US, Canada, and Mexico directly.
Bulgaria and Spain last faced off in a competitive match at the 1998 World Cup for the first time in more than 20 years.
Oyarzabal once more sets the barrage for Spain.
As Spain took the lead after five minutes, Martin Zubimendi’s former Real Sociedad teammate Oyarzabal was set up for the opener with a fine pass.
After the ball fell into his path, Radoslav Kirilov hit the post for the hosts before Chelsea defender Cucurella thumped in to add to Spain’s lead.
Before the break, Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal curled into a corner and Merino nodded home, expressing Spain’s dominance.
As Spain continued to dominate, Merino, a midfielder from Arsenal, hit the crossbar in the second half. Without scoring, Teenager Yamal was strong and dangerous.
Rodri and Carvajal, both from Man City, made their long-awaited first starts for Real Madrid as De la Fuente shuffled his lineup. They had each missed seven and nine months, respectively.
In the end, Jesus Rodriguez made his international debut under the guidance of the coach, who replaced Yamal.
De la Fuente remarked, “We are incredibly demanding, and most of all, the players were disappointed with the second half.”
“We’re happy, but we need to keep moving forward.”
Spain will play another away game on Sunday, while Bulgaria will face Georgia on the same day in Turkiye.
The Spanish coach continued, “Turkiye will be a higher-level game and more difficult.” Every day, we must strive to improve.
Georgia last scares Turkiye,
In the other Group E game, Turkiye defeated Georgia 3-3 to defeat them in a late scare.
When Baris Alper Yilmaz was shown a straight red card in the 71st minute, the away side had already been reduced to 10 men.
By that point, they had already taken the lead thanks to Mert Muldur’s third-minute header and Kerem Akturkoglu’s strikes either side of the break.
Source: Aljazeera
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