BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Mikel Oyarzabal scored twice as Spain maintained its perfect form in World Cup qualifying with a 4-0 win in Georgia on Saturday as it 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 is poised to wrap up a spot in the finals when it meets Turkey on Tuesday in its last qualifier.
Spain leads Group E by three points over Turkey, 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 overall goal difference. Spain is on +19, while Turkey is on +5.
Even so, De la Fuente said it was too early to celebrate.
“We have maximum respect for all our rivals, including Turkey,” De la Fuente said. “We have to keep our feet on the ground and maintain this attitude until we are mathematically qualified.”
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. Martín Zubimendi and Ferran Torres also scored as their team was up 3-0 by halftime.
Oyarzabal opened the scoring with a penalty in the 11th minute and headed in the fourth goal in the 63rd.
Those were goals 20 and 21 for him on his 50th appearance for Spain. His most important goal for his country was the winner in the 2024 European Championship final, a 2-1 victory over England.
Turkey locked up a top-two finish and assured a playoff spot after Hakan Çalhanoğlu scored a penalty and Bulgaria defender Atanas Chernev added an own goal.
The 12 group winners from European qualification go directly to the World Cup. France, England and Croatia have won their groups. The continent’s remaining four berths are decided by a playoff of the dozen runners-up.
Belgium must wait
Belgium was held to a 1-1 draw in Kazakhstan and missed a chance to qualify for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Belgium leads Group J with two points more than North Macedonia. Rudi Garcia’s side can still advance with a win over Liechtenstein on Tuesday in their final qualifier.
Kazakhstan took a ninth-minute lead through 17-year-old Dastan Satpayev. Hans Vanaken leveled for Belgium in the 48th when the Club Brugge midfielder headed in a cross by Timothy Castagne.
But Belgium, which had routed Kazahkstan 6-0 in September, was unable to take advantage of playing with an extra man from the 79th minute after Islam Chesnokov was red carded for a hard challenge on Jeremy Doku.
Also in Group J, Jordan James scored as Wales won 1-0 at Liechtenstein.
Wales and North Macedonia are tied on 13 points in joint second place before they face-off on Tuesday.
Austria and Bosnia set up showdown
Austria forward Marko Arnautovic scored twice to spark a 2-0 win in Cyprus, but Edin Dzeko helped Bosnia and Herzegovina keep in contention for the top spot in Group H after beating Romania 3-1.
Austria leads Bosnia by two points before they play in Vienna on Tuesday. They are both guaranteed a top-two finish.
Other results
Greece beat Scotland 3-2 in Group C, while Denmark drew 2-2 with Belarus. That means the Danes will have a one-point lead over the Scots when they meet in Glasgow on Tuesday.
Switzerland remained in charge of Group B after downing Sweden 4-1, while Kosovo remained three points behind following a 2-0 win in Slovenia. Kosovo hosts the Swiss next week in Pristina.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
By JOSEPH WILSON
Associated Press
