Spain crush Turkey as Mikel Merino's hat-trick lights up World Cup qualifier

Spain took a major step towards the 2026 World Cup with a resounding 6-0 victory over Turkey in Konya on Sunday night, maintaining their unbeaten start to qualification.

Pedri opened the scoring in the sixth minute with a strike from the edge of the box before Mikel Merino doubled the lead midway through the first half, finishing off a flowing move involving Marc Cucurella, Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal.

The Arsenal midfielder then added his second just before the interval, making it 3-0 at half time, just as Nico Williams was forced off with a muscle injury.

After the restart, Spain kept pressing. Williams's replacement, Ferran Torres, struck in the 53rd minute, followed quickly by Merino’s third, which made him the first Spanish midfielder to score a hat-trick since Isco against Argentina in 2018.

Pedri capped the performance with his second goal just after the hour mark.

Turkey, managed by Vincenzo Montella, struggled to respond despite a lively crowd of 42,000 at the Konya Buyuksehir Arena.

The result leaves Spain top of Group E, with upcoming home fixtures against Georgia and Bulgaria in October offering the chance to secure early qualification.