Mikel Merino scored twice as Spain eased to a 4-0 victory over Bulgaria on Tuesday, maintaining its flawless start to Europe’s World Cup Qualifiers and moving closer to securing a spot at the 2026 World Cup in North America.
Merino opened the scoring with a header in the 35th minute and doubled Spain’s lead in the 56th with another header.
Bulgaria’s woes deepened in the 79th minute when defender Atanas Chernev turned a cross into his own net while Mikel Oyarzabal completed the rout in added time, converting a penalty after Merino was brought down in the area.
Spain’s dominance in Group E remains unchallenged, with Luis de la Fuente’s side leading the standings with 12 points from four matches, scoring 15 goals and conceding none.
It is followed by Turkey on nine points, while Georgia sits third on three points. Bulgaria remains bottom of the group after suffering its fourth consecutive defeat.
Italy guarantees World Cup playoff spot
Italy beat Israel 3-0 at home thanks to a Mateo Retegui double and a late goal from Gianluca Mancini, securing at least a World Cup playoff berth amid tension between police and some demonstrators at a pro-Palestinian march.
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Retegui put Italy ahead just before the break after he was fouled and converted the resulting penalty. He netted the second in the 74th minute by winning possession on the edge of the area, cutting inside and curling his effort into the top corner.
Defender Mancini scored with a close-range header in second-half stoppage time to wrap up a comfortable win.
Norway leads Group I on 18 points. Italy is second with 15, six clear of Israel, which has only one game left and cannot overtake Gennaro Gattuso’s side.
The group winner qualifies directly for next year’s World Cup, with the runner-up entering the playoffs.
Published on Oct 15, 2025
