Spain drew 2-2 with Türkiye, securing their World Cup qualification.

Spain drew 2-2 with Türkiye at La Cartuja de Sevilla but still officially secured first place in Group E and direct qualification for the World Cup. This was the first time in the entire campaign they failed to win, but one point in the final match was enough to achieve their goal.

Match progression: taking an early lead, then falling behind, before drawing back to a point.

La Roja got off to a dream start. In the 4th minute, from a through pass, Marc Cucurella broke down the left wing and delivered a cross. After a scramble, Dani Olmo calmly beat a defender and finished into the far corner to open the scoring 1-0.

Spain's early advantage allowed them to control the game. Olmo continued to be the main attacking threat with a long-range shot and a dangerous volley, but both were brilliantly saved by Altay Bayindir. Just when the home team seemed to have complete control, Türkiye found an equalizer from a set piece.

In the 42nd minute, from a corner kick, the ball bounced through several touches before Deniz Gül quickly finished from close range to beat Unai Simon, leveling the score at 1-1.

The second half opened with a shock for the home team. In the 54th minute, Orkun Kokcu passed the ball back to Salih Ozcan on the edge of the penalty area, and the midfielder unleashed a shot through a crowd of legs, finding the bottom corner to give Türkiye a 2-1 lead.

Spain reacted quickly. In the 62nd minute, Cucurella crossed the ball, Yeremy Pino's shot was blocked by Merih Demiral right on the goal line, the ball deflected off Caglar Soyuncu and landed right in front of Mikel Oyarzabal. The striker tapped the ball into the empty net, leveling the score at 2-2.

Key moments and VAR

The final minutes were incredibly tense. Unai Simon had to make a crucial save from Baris Yilmaz's shot, while the Turkish goal was under threat on several occasions. The climax came in injury time: Fermin Lopez put the ball into the net, but VAR ruled it offside, and the goal was disallowed.

Tactical analysis: Cucurella's left wing, responses from set pieces and second line.

Spain's intentions quickly became clear: attack down the left flank where Cucurella pushed forward, combined with Dani Olmo's ability to exploit the space between the lines. The opening goal and the subsequent series of opportunities all stemmed from overloaded attacks down the left wing, with the ball then cut into the center.

Türkiye played patiently with a mid-sized formation, waiting for set pieces and space in front of the penalty area. The equalizer came from a corner kick with enough players in the 5.5-meter box to create chaos. After the break, the visitors exploited the "second line of defense": Ozcan received the ball in an unmarked area and took an early shot, typical of a long-range shot when unable to break through the defensive block.

After falling behind, Spain increased the pace of their play and the frequency of crosses to the far post. The 2-2 situation demonstrated the value of maintaining constant pressure: a goal-line clearance before the opponent could reorganize led to Oyarzabal's opportunistic strike.

Impact on the group standings

The 2-2 draw allowed Spain to maintain their top spot in Group E and secure direct qualification for the World Cup. Türkiye concluded their qualifying campaign with a strong performance away from home and will look for opportunities in the play-offs.

Selective statistics

• Score: Spain 2-2 Türkiye
• Scorer: Dani Olmo 4'; Deniz Gül 42'; Salih Ozcan 54'; Mikel Oyarzabal 62'
• VAR: Fermin Lopez's injury-time goal was disallowed for offside.

Summary of events