Merino Double Sparks Spain’s Run Of Goals In Domination Of Bulgaria

It started successful Scotland and it still hasn’t vanished yet. That nighttime astatine Hampden was only Luis de le Fuente’s 2nd arsenic Spain coach; it besides felt for illustration it mightiness beryllium his last. Two Scott McTominay goals defeated nan seleccion but while conscionable astir everyone other thought his spell would beryllium brief, he was talking astir a pathway opening and here’s nan thing: nan man accused of surviving successful Disneyland backmost past was right. Three years and 4 days later, Spain moved to wrong rubbing region nan World Cup, and besides racked up their 29th consecutive competitory crippled unbeaten*, equalling nan record.

On a nighttime erstwhile Pedri played and Mikel Merino made nan difference, Spain hit Bulgaria 4-0 to return them to 12 points from 12 successful qualifying, adjacent now. The Arsenal midfielder and sometime striker scored nan first 2 and mightiness person sewage his 2nd hat-trick successful 3 Spain games but erstwhile he was fouled successful nan past infinitesimal he handed nan punishment to Mikel Oyarzabal instead. And truthful it was nan Real Sociedad striker, scorer of nan victor astatine nan last of Euro 2024, who kept nan series going, equalling what Vicente del Bosque’s aureate procreation did betwixt 2010 and 2013.

Now, you whitethorn person noticed nan asterisk there, and rightly. FIFA mightiness not count it arsenic a defeat, but successful this tally Spain did suffer erstwhile – 7-5 connected penalties to Portugal successful nan last of nan Nations League backmost successful June. Yet officially astatine least, this squad has matched that 1 against which each Spain sides are measured. Win successful Georgia successful a period and nan grounds will beryllium theirs alone. En way they won nan Nations League successful 2023, nan European Championships successful 2024 and reached a Nations League last successful 2025; they caput towards 2026 classed No. 1, among nan favourites again, conscionable for illustration aged times.

This was “only” Bulgaria, it is true, conscionable arsenic it was only Georgia, Bulgaria, and Turkey earlier them but that’s 4 wins retired of four, aggregate people 15-0. There were 2 moments instantly aft nan seleccion sewage their first 2 goals – nan 3rd was an ain extremity – but yet their opponents had not been allowed a azygous changeable connected target. The full count ran: 33-3, Spain recognisably Spain. Bulgaria’s coach had admitted nan only nonsubjective his squad could person was to clasp retired arsenic agelong arsenic they could. As it turned out, that was 33 minutes, and Merino’s header was Spain’s 18th effort connected target already.

Mikel Oyarzabal scores from nan punishment spot. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images

This was astir each of them, but astatine nan bosom of it was Pedri, everyplace and obscurity astatine once: everyplace for Spain, obscurity for Bulgaria, incapable to observe him arsenic he flitted done them. He completed 101 passes by nan clip he was withdrawn to a opinionated ovation connected 66 minutes, and his were nan moments of top subtlety, nan finest touches and nan astir incisive too.

When nan José Zorrilla chanted his sanction midway nan opening period, he had conscionable slipped unnoticed into nan area again, dinking his changeable complete Svetoslav Vutsov and onto nan bar, but it was not only that. He had already lifted a gorgeous walk into Álex Baena to volley wide and pulled different backmost from which Baena was blocked. A disguised transportation had group Samu Aghehowa up for what should person been nan opener, and a neat lay-off saw Oyarzabal scuff his shot.

He sewage a chance of his ain only to neglect to find a cleanable connection, volleying wide. But then, almost instantly after, he floated different shot in. This clip Robin Le Normand nodded crossed and Merino headed in. Spain, who had 88% of nan possession, now had nan lead. The power representation looked for illustration they had tally retired of spray overgarment half measurement done and a infinitesimal later Aghehowa mightiness person made it two. But past successful portion it’s nan unpredictability, moreover nan injustice, that makes shot great. And nan first clip Bulgaria sewage into Spain’s half they mightiness person equalised, Kiril Despodov abruptly sprinting distant and hitting nan side-netting.

Introduced for Aghehowa astatine nan break, Borja Iglesias had 3 chances successful arsenic galore minutes earlier Merino did it again. The transverse from nan near was superb from Álex Grimaldo and there, leaping supra everyone, was Merino to powerfulness nan header down and dash disconnected to do laps information nan area flag.

As they had done aft nan opener, Bulgaria escaped again, Despodov played done and putting his and their 2nd changeable wide and yet nan first clip nan visitors had a changeable connected target it was astatine nan incorrect end, Atanas Chernev turning into his ain net. Still it was not rather done, Merino kicked successful nan shins and stepping speech to fto Oyarzabal smash successful nan 99th extremity of De la Fuente’s ongoing reign.