Spain booked their spot at next year’s FIFA World Cup finals, but it came after a more nerve-wracking night than expected as they drew 2-2 with Turkey in Seville. The result also saw La Roja equal Italy’s record of 31 competitive matches without defeat, though the path to the milestone was far from smooth, as even Softfootball didn’t expect a draw in this encounter, as Spain was expected to easily see off Turkey in the pre-game analysis.
Before this game Spain had already defeated Georgia 4-nil, and the hosts looked ready to wrap things up quickly in this encounter, taking the lead in just the fourth minute. Dani Olmo showcased neat footwork to rifle home a close-range finish after Fabián Ruiz mis-hit his attempt to connect with Marc Cucurella’s cross.
It seemed only a matter of time before Spain doubled their advantage, with Altay Bayındır keeping Turkey in the game with impressive saves against two long-range efforts from Olmo.
However, Turkey refused to roll over. Deniz Gül punished a momentary lapse in Spain’s defence from Orkun Kökçü’s corner, scoring his first international goal to level things up. The visitors carried that momentum into the second half, with Unai Simón producing a spectacular save to deny Barış Alper Yılmaz’s bicycle kick.
Turkey then took a deserved lead when Salih Özcan drilled in a right-footed finish, also his first goal for the national team.
Spain responded quickly, with Mikel Oyarzabal tapping in from close range after Merih Demiral had blocked Yéremy Pino’s initial shot. The remainder of the match saw Spain struggling to assert control, relying on Simón to parry away another ferocious strike from Yılmaz. Ferran Torres came close to giving La Roja the lead, but his shot went wide, and Fermín López had a late effort ruled out for offside.
Despite the shaky performance, Spain achieved their objective, securing qualification for a 13th consecutive World Cup finals; they also posted a qualification video via their official X account celebrating the team’s latest milestone.
Watch the video below:
Turkey, meanwhile, will take heart from testing the reigning European champions so thoroughly, leaving themselves in a strong position ahead of the March play-offs, with hopes of reaching the World Cup for the first time since 2002.
