"While the majority of the world's great national teams were doubting, pouting or 'what-abouting?' over the last few days of the September international break, Spain got on with routing Turkey in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier on Sunday. It was a recital of football which underlined that, on their day, the European champions remain the most exciting, devastating and irresistible team in the world."
"If you didn't see their 6-0 thrashing of Vincenzo Montella's team which featured Real Madrid's Arda Güler, Inter Milan's Hakan Çalhanoglu and Fenerbahce's Kerem Aktürkoglu then, please believe me, it was not just a big score against a team which hasn't shipped six at home for 41 years -- it was sublime, choral football. Turkey goalkeeper Ugurcan Çakır was by far their best player (let that one sink in)."
Spain routed Turkey 6-0 in a 2026 World Cup qualifier with fluid, choral football that emphasized passing, possession and collective involvement. The second goal alone involved 75 seconds, 25 passes and 66 touches with every player participating. Spain started without six of the European Championship-winning XI yet still dominated. Turkey goalkeeper Ugurcan Çakır was arguably Turkey's best performer despite the scoreline. Several other major nations underwhelmed during the international window: Germany lost away to Slovakia, England scraped past Andorra 2-0, and the Netherlands and Croatia produced inconsistent results.
Read at ESPN.com
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