There were victories for three of European football’s traditional heavyweights in World Cup qualifying on Sunday, with Spain, Germany and The Netherlands all tasting triumph.
European champions Spain are seen as one of the favourites to life the World Cup next year, when the tournament heads to the United States, Canada and Mexico for an expanded 48-team competition.
And La Roja were in outstanding form in Konya as they battered a Turkey team that reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2024, Arsenal’s Mikel Merino scoring a hat-trick and Barcelona star Pedri producing an instrumental display in a 6-0 rout.
Pedri needed only six minutes to break the deadlock in style as he whipped a superb finish into the bottom-right corner. Merino doubled the lead six minutes later as he slotted a cool finish beyond Ugurcan Cakir after Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal were afforded far too much time and space in the box to tee him up.
Merino made it 3-0 in first-half stoppage time, Oyarzabal again the provider after another intricate team move involving Pedri and Ferran Torres.
Torres lashed home at the near post after a rapid Spain counter-attack seven minutes into the second half before Merino completed his hat-trick with a wondrous curling effort from long range.
Pedri fittingly had the final say when he fired in his second from the edge of the area, Spain laying down an emphatic marker as they made it two wins from two to start their Group E campaign.
Lithuania 2-3 Netherlands
Florian Wirtz produced a moment of magic as Germany bounced back from their humiliating defeat Slovakia with a 3-1 win over Northern Ireland. Slovakia top Group A after a last-gasp 1-0 win over Luxembourg.
Earlier, Memphis Depay made history for The Netherlands, his double in a 3-2 win over Lithuania seeing him become his country’s outright record goalscorer as he netted for the 52nd time in international football.
He broke the record by opening the scoring in the 11th minute, and the Corinthians forward had the decisive say with a 63rd minute header after the Oranje had thrown away a 2-0 goal lead.
Speaking after the game, Depay thanked his team-mates and the Netherlands greats who came before him.
“I am very happy that I have achieved it and that I have gone over it [the record]. Now we can continue,” Depay told NOS.
“Of course I’m super proud of it. I have manifested it. I also thanked everyone in the locker room.
“Even the big players who have been ahead of me, who are no longer playing. Robin (van Persie) and Klaas (Jan Huntelaar). I didn’t play with Patrick Kluivert, but Kluivert was one of those who inspired me to reach the Dutch national team. A thank you to all those players who have been before me. Because they inspired and pushed me.”
The Netherlands are top of Group G on goal difference, the Oranje sitting above Poland, who beat Finland 3-1.
Belgium 6-0 Kazakhstan
Belgium began their qualifying campaign in underwhelming fashion, drawing with North Macedonia before scraping to a 4-3 win against Wales.
But they thrashed Liechtenstein 6-0 on Thursday, and they replicated that feat against Kazakhstan to move a point behind North Macedonia with a game in hand.
Kevin De Bruyne was on target twice for the Red Devils, while his former Manchester City team-mate Jeremy Doku netted a brace as well.
Nicolas Raskin and Thomas Meunier were also on target for Belgium, who face key games with North Macedonia and Wales next month.
