Can anyone stop Lamine Yamal and Spain marching to World Cup glory?

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  • Graham HunterSep 9, 2025, 04:00 AM ET

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      Graham Hunter is simply a Barcelona-based freelance writer for ESPN.com who specializes successful La Liga and the Spanish nationalist team.

While the bulk of the world's large nationalist teams were doubting, pouting oregon 'what-abouting?' implicit the past fewer days of the September planetary break, Spain got connected with routing Turkey successful a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier connected Sunday. It was a recital of shot which underlined that, connected their day, the European champions stay the astir exciting, devastating and irresistible squad successful the world.

If you didn't spot their 6-0 thrashing of Vincenzo Montella's squad which featured Real Madrid's Arda Güler, Inter Milan's Hakan Çalhanoglu and Fenerbahce's Kerem Aktürkoglu then, delight judge me, it was not conscionable a large people against a squad which hasn't shipped six astatine location for 41 years -- it was sublime, choral football.

Turkey goalkeeper Ugurcan Çakır was by acold their champion subordinate (let that 1 descend in). Spain started without six of the XI which won the European Championship past summer, and yet La Roja's 2nd extremity came from 75 seconds of possession, 25 passes, 66 touches connected the shot with each azygous 1 of Luis De La Fuente's squad having been progressive successful the determination astatine slightest once.

- Why left-footed close wingers similar Yamal are truthful blistery close now
- With 9 months until World Cup, does Poch cognize champion U.S. XI?
- Which teams tin publication their spot astatine the 2026 World Cup this week?

Meanwhile, Germany fell to Slovakia (No. 52 successful the FIFA World Ranking) -- Die Mannschaft's first-ever distant decision successful the past of their World Cup qualifying campaigns (56 matches) -- and England bored their fans into snores portion edging narrowly 2-0 past 174th-ranked Andorra (population 82,000).

Netherlands snuck a 3-2 triumph against 143th-ranked Lithuania successful Kaunus, having stumbled 1-1 against Poland astatine location a mates of days earlier, portion 2018 World Cup and 2023 Nations League finalists Croatia, inactive boasting Luka Modric, squeaked location 1-0 against 142th-ranked Faroe Islands (population 54,000).

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