Manchester United goalkeeper Altay Bayındır was outstanding for Turkey in their final 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Spain, Softfootball reports.
Turkey drew 2-2 against Spain in a game they needed to win to qualify for the Mundial but it was a huge ask against the La Roja. Before the encounter Spain had not lost or drawn any matches. They were unbeaten and haven’t conceded any goals.
Spain had 15 points from five games and a draw would be enough for qualification because Turkey had 12 points and required to win but it didn’t fall their way as they wanted.
Spain celebrated and shared a lovely post on their official X handle. It was a deserved campaign and they merited their spot at the 2026 World Cup to be hosted by the United States of America, Mexico and Canada. The post read:
The pic you’ve been waiting for…
WE’RE HEADED TO THE #FIFAWorldCup! ⚡🔥#VamosEspaña pic.twitter.com/d71xQDSglv
— Spanish Football (@SpainIsFootball) November 18, 2025Interestingly, fans were impressed with how Turkey helped their own in Seville. Especially, the safe hands of Manchester United goalkkeper, Altay Bayındır who recently lost his starting spot to Senne Lammens.
Dani Olmo gave Spain the lead but Turkey came back with two quick goals from Deniz Gül and Salih Özcan. If it had stayed 2-1, Turkey would have qualified but Mikel Oyarzabal stepped up to score his 51st goal for Spain and send them to the World Cup.
During the encounter, Altay Bayindir, who played for 90 minutes, made six saves, three inside the box, made a punch, one high claim, seven recoveries and one clearance.
The fans were so impressed and @news_united_ stated:
Massive performance Bayindir! 🔥 Six saves against Spain is no joke. He’s showing exactly why United kept faith in him solid, calm, and clutch when it matters
@zzzIntheShadow added:
Bayindir performs in real games, but of course nobody can be bothered to praise him. Lammens blanks a team nobody could pick out of a lineup, and the hype machine explodes.
@mia_san_mia27 seem to be a Manchester United fan, who couldn’t forget how poor the goalkeeper was when he was asked to replace the departed Andre Onana in goal for the Red Devils. He said:
You can praise him all day but I can’t forget the trauma he caused United fans at the beginning of the season. He should be loaned to Turkish clubs.
Turkey can still qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup if they win their play-off in March next year.
