BARCELONA, Spain: Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice as Spain maintained their perfect form in World Cup qualifying with a 4-0 win in Georgia on Saturday as they closed in on a berth at next year’s showpiece tournament.
Luis de la Fuente’s side has scored 19 times while conceding zero goals in five group victories.
The European champion are poised to wrap up a spot in the finals when they meet Turkiye on Tuesday in their last qualifier.
Spain lead Group E by three points over Turkiye, which beat Bulgaria 2-0 on Saturday.
The only way the Turks could pip Spain for the top spot and grab a direct ticket to the World Cup would be by winning in Seville by a huge margin.
A tiebreaker would be decided by goal difference. Spain is on +19, while Turkiye is on +5.
The home side didn’t miss injured stars Lamine Yamal, Pedri González or Rodri against the overmatched Georgia.
The Real Sociedad striker Oyarzabal led Spain with his two goals and an assist. Martín Zubimendi and Ferran Torres also scored as their team were up 3-0 by halftime.
Oyarzabal opened the scoring with a penalty in the 11th minute and headed in the fourth goal in the 63rd. Marcos Llorente cleared a late Georgia shot from the goal-line to protect Spain’s run of clean sheets.
Belgium must wait
Belgium were held to a 1-1 draw in Kazakhstan and missed a chance to qualify for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Rudi Garcia’s side can still advance with a win over Liechtenstein on Tuesday in their final qualifier.
Belgium lead Group J with two points more than North Macedonia.
The draw in Astana guaranteed the Belgians will finish in the top two. The 12 group winners from European qualification go directly to the World Cup. The continent’s remaining four berths are decided by a playoff of the dozen runners-up.
Kazakhstan took a ninth-minute lead through 17-year-old Dastan Satpayev. Hans Vanaken leveled for Belgium in the 48th when the Club Brugge midfielder headed in a cross by Timothy Castagne.
But Belgium, which had routed Kazahkstan 6-0 in September, were unable to take advantage of playing with an extra man from the 79th minute after Islam Chesnokov was red carded for a hard challenge on Jeremy Doku.
Mikel Oyarzabal stars as Spain remain perfect in World Cup qualifying, Belgium held
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Mikel Oyarzabal stars as Spain remain perfect in World Cup qualifying, Belgium held
- Luis de la Fuente’s side has scored 19 times while conceding zero goals in five group victories
- The European champion are poised to wrap up a spot in the finals when they meet Turkiye on Tuesday in their last qualifier
Kanno brace sends Saudi Arabia through while Morocco, Palestine stay on course
- Mohamed Kanno scored twice as Saudi Arabia came from a goalless first half to defeat Comoros
DOHA: Saudi Arabia booked their place in the FIFA Arab Cup quarter-finals with a 3-1 victory over tournament debutants Comoros on Friday, while Morocco remained on course for the knockout stages despite being held by Oman.
Mohamed Kanno scored twice as Saudi Arabia came from a goalless first half to defeat Comoros and finish top of their group.
The debutants had threatened an early breakthrough when Affane Said Djambae headed wide in the 20th minute, a miss they would rue.
Deep into stoppage time, a goalkeeping error allowed Salem Al-Dawsari to tee up Kanno for a powerful header, before the pair combined again shortly after the break for Saudi Arabia’s second.
Comoros briefly reignited hopes through Ibroihim Djoudja, but Al-Dawsari sealed the win with a superb solo effort.
Earlier, ten-man Morocco played out a scoreless draw with Oman in Al-Rayyan to retain top spot in Group B.
Captain Abderrazzaq Hamdallah went closest before being sent off early in the second half, but Oman were unable to capitalize on their numerical advantage.
Thursday’s action saw late drama once again shape Group A.
Palestine struck in the closing stages for a second straight game to earn a crucial 2-2 draw against Tunisia, leaving them level with Syria at the top of the standings.
Zaid Qunbar, who scored the equalizer, was named player of the match.
Syria also left it late, with Omar Khribin’s stoppage-time goal earning a 1-1 draw with hosts Qatar and keeping qualification finely balanced heading into the final group fixtures.
