Spain – Turkey, Getty Images November 18, 2025, 11:51 p.m

The November international cycle is coming to an end, and with it the main round of European qualification for the 2026 World Cup. Group E was one of the last to decide its winner, where before the last round Spain had a significant advantage over Turkey by three points, but even more so in terms of performance indicators. One way or another, no one managed to score against Luis de la Fuente’s team in five meetings before that, and instead they shipped 19 goals to their opponents.

So, in the face-to-face meeting in Seville, Turkey needed to make sure that they got a victory on a foreign field against an opponent who crushed Vincenzo Montella’s team with a score of 6-0 in the first round, and eliminate the +14 goal difference in favor of the Spaniards. And although it was a face-to-face meeting, so this indicator could be divided in half, the task still seemed fantastic for the “moon stars”.

However, the home team opened the scoring in the fourth minute, and it became clear that this would hardly be a difficult task for Turkey, if anyone still had such hopes. Cucurella shot from the left flank to the near side, where Ruiz missed the ball, but continued its flight to the feet of Olmo, who just had to shoot the goal from close range.

And the subsequent course of events, during which Spain constantly created danger at the other side’s goal, and Olmo now threatened to score a handsome goal with long-range shots, and more than one(!), led to think that there could be a second defeat of Montella’s team in this pair. But Bayındır did his job flawlessly on the line in the first half and gave his partners the opportunity to stand up and take charge of their own attack, which this time was devoid of such masters of the ball as Güler and Kenan Yildiz.

However, even with such a line-up in front, Turkey not only provided Spain with the first conceded goal in this qualification, when in the 42nd minute, a firm delivery of a corner from the right wing by Kecchiu on the far side ended with Yılmaz dropping under Gulu’s shot to the goalkeeper, but also gave the opportunity to take the lead on the scoreboard. It happened at the beginning of the second half of the game, when the same Kekchiu beautifully dropped the ball in front of someone else’s free kick with his chest under Ozcan’s shot, and he hit a long shot under the left post.

The Spaniards were a little puzzled by such ease in the opponents’ attack, but they still fought back eight minutes later, when Oyarzabal, again in the thick of the goalkeeping struggle, found the ball for himself in front of an empty net, when Pinot wasted another opportunity to score. At the same time, the end of the match took place already in attacks on both sides of the field, and in the end Simon had no less work than Bayindyr. However, Ferran and the partners of the Turkish goalkeeper never lost, nor did they cope with the task of Yilmaz.

In the end, Spain finished first with 16 points and qualified for the 2026 World Cup, while Turkey finished second with 13 points and will play in the playoffs.

Spain — Turkey 2:2
Goals: Olmo, 4, Oyarsabal, 62 — Gul, 42, Ozjan, 54

Spain: Simon — Llorente, Kubarci, Laporte, Cucurella — Merino (Torres, 46), A. Garcia, Ruiz (Fornals, 83) — Pino (Baena, 62), Oyarzabal (Agekhova, 62), Olmo (Lopez, 74).

Turkey: Bayindir — Celik, Demiral (Akchichek, 83), Akaidin, Seyunju, Kadioglu (Eskihellach, 78) — Kahvecji (Sari, 69), Kekciu, Ozcan (Karazor, 78), Yilmaz — Gul (Muldur, 69).

Warning: Baena — Gul, Demiral, Eskihellach, Bayindir