Spain showed no mercy in Valladolid as they swept aside Bulgaria 4–0 at the Estadio José Zorrilla on Tuesday night, just as Softfootball predicted in the pre-match preview. La Roja continued their perfect run in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, and the win keeps Luis de la Fuente’s men top of Group E with 12 points from four games, while Bulgaria’s miserable campaign is now officially over, mathematically eliminated with zero points.
It was Mikel Merino’s night once again. The Arsenal midfielder bagged a brace, both from headers, in the 35th and 57th minutes. The first came via a beautiful cross from Pedri, and the second was another thumping finish after an inch-perfect delivery by Alejandro Grimaldo. That’s six goals now in four qualifiers for Merino red-hot form for a man not even known primarily as a scorer.
Spain dominated early, firing off 18 first-half shots but still couldn’t find the net until Merino broke the deadlock before halftime. After the restart, Borja Iglesias twice tested Bulgarian keeper Svetoslav Vutsov before Merino nodded in his second to kill off any hopes of a comeback. The visitors’ night got worse when debutant Atanas Chernev turned Aleix García’s cross into his own net in the 79th minute. And in stoppage time, Mikel Oyarzabal, who had been previously praised by his manager as a complete player, calmly tucked away a penalty after being brought down, wrapping up another ruthless Spanish display.
Spain controlled the game from start to finish, holding nearly 78% possession and firing 33 total shots. Vutsov did his best, pulling off eight saves, but the gap in quality was massive. The win equals Spain’s all-time unbeaten run of 29 matches and sends them three points clear of Turkey at the top of the table.
After the game, head coach Luis de la Fuente voiced his satisfaction with the team’s performance as revealed by Spain via the team’s official X account.
They posted:
For Bulgaria, this was another rough night in a run that’s turned ugly. After the 6–1 drubbing by Turkey, Aleksandar Dimitrov made eight changes, but nothing changed where it mattered most, the scoreboard. Despodov had a rare chance midway through the second half that could’ve given them something to cheer about, but his effort rolled inches wide of Unai Simón’s post.
By the time Oyarzabal buried the penalty, it was just about damage control for the visitors. Spain has now scored 15 goals without conceding in this qualifying campaign. Bulgaria, meanwhile, has lost five on the bounce with a staggering 20–1 aggregate.
At this point, it’s hard to see anyone slowing La Roja down.
