Spain maintained its long unbeaten run to move three points clear of World Cup qualifying Group E after a 2-2 draw with Turkiye.
La Roja were all but guaranteed a place at next year’s tournament before Tuesday’s start in Seville, with Turkiye needing a huge change in goal difference to have a chance of finishing top of the group.
Dani Olmo’s excellent touch and finishing saw Spain get off to a flying start in the fourth minute, but Luis de la Fuente’s side failed to extend their lead, with Altay Bayindir impressive in Turkiye’s goal.
Against the run of play, Turkiye leveled in the 42nd minute when Deniz Gul took advantage of sloppy defending from a set piece.
And Spain’s unbeaten run looked in jeopardy when Salih Ozcan fired a brilliant effort into the bottom left corner early in the second half.
Yet Mikel Oyarzabal came home just six minutes later to restore parity, and although Spain were denied a perfect record in qualifying, with Samu Aghehowa heading over from the penalty area and Fermin Lopez having a goal disallowed late on, they still confirmed their place in the United States, Canada and Mexico without too much fuss.
Data debrief: Spain’s run continues
It is now 31 competitive games unbeaten for Spain, matching the longest run by any World Cup-winning team (previously by Italy), with De la Fuente taking charge of 26 of them (W20 D6).
Oyarzabal, meanwhile, finished this qualifying season with ten goals, trailing only Erling Haaland (18) and Memphis Depay (12) among European players.
And Oyarzabal is one of only three players, along with Ferran Torres and Alvaro Morata, to have scored more goals for Spain than Olmo (12) since the latter made his debut in November 2019.
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