Spain’s dominance of the hosts on Sunday was undone by the visitors’ speed and finesse, with a helpless Turkish defense torn apart on every counterattack.
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The group currently has six points from its two matches, with Turkiye and Georgia grabbing three. Bulgaria was defeated by Georgia 3-0 earlier on Sunday.
In the sixth minute, Pedri slotted past goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir before striking early in the second.
In the 22nd minute, Merino doubled Spain’s lead with a straightforward unmarked strike that escaped the Turkish defense.
In stoppage time, Merino again struck, latching on to a pull-back to equalize Spain’s three-goal lead.
Eight minutes into the second half, a Turkish corner backfired, and Ferran Torres led a swift counterattack before completing a daring exchange inside the box to tie the game.
Merino, who was brimming with confidence, added a stunning left-footed curler from distance that soared into the top corner for Spain’s fifth, cappending his hat-trick just four minutes later.
In the 62nd minute, Pedri slotted home his second of the night after being unmarked at the end of yet another quick break.
Four-time world champions Germany struggled for more than an hour against Northern Ireland in other UEFA qualifiers before scoring twice in three minutes to earn a 3-1 victory on Sunday.
Germany’s first win in Group A came thanks to a tap-in by substitute Nadiem Amiri in the 69th minute and a Florian Wirtz free kick.
It was also Julian Nagelmann’s team’s first victory in their opening group game, coming after their shock 2-0 defeat to hosts Slovakia on Thursday, their first ever away defeat.
Slovakia defeated Luxembourg 1-0 in the other Group A game on Sunday.
Kevin De Bruyne’s stunning goal in Brussels helped Belgium break the deadlock and cruise to a comfortable 6-0 victory over Kazakhstan in their World Cup qualifying match on Sunday.
Before the 42nd-minute strike, the Belgians were about to have a frustrating night at Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, but they continued to earn a comfortable victory with the goals of De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku.
In Group J, Belgium leads Wales in terms of goals scored, but it is only two points ahead of leaders North Macedonia, who lost to Liechtenstein by a point earlier on Sunday. Wales and North Macedonia have only played five games each.
Memphis Depay’s double helped the Netherlands survive a scare by defeating Lithuania 3-2 in their qualifier on Sunday, setting a new scoring record for the Netherlands.
Source: Aljazeera
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