Mikel Oyarzabal stars as Spain remain perfect in World Cup qualifying, Belgium held
BARCELONA, Spain: Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice as Spain maintained their perfect form in World Cup qualifying with a 4-0 win in Georgia on Saturday as they closed in on a berth at next year’s showpiece tournament. Luis de la Fuente’s side has scored 19 times while conceding zero goals in five group victories. The European champion are poised to wrap up a spot in the finals when they meet Turkiye on Tuesday in their last qualifier. Spain lead Group E by three points over Turkiye, which beat Bulgaria 2-0 on Saturday. The only way the Turks could pip Spain for the top spot and grab a direct ticket to the World Cup would be by winning in Seville by a huge margin. A tiebreaker would be decided by goal difference. Spain is on +19, while Turkiye is on +5. The home side didn’t miss injured stars Lamine Yamal, Pedri González or Rodri against the overmatched Georgia. The Real Sociedad striker Oyarzabal led Spain with his two goals and an assist.