First in 10 years! Merino nets a hat-trick against Turkey
Jan Novak
Dailysports's expert
The Spanish national team traveled to Konya for their second round World Cup qualifier. Under De la Fuente’s guidance, La Roja left no stone unturned, obliterating Turkey with a humiliating 6-0 victory.
The opening half was marred for the Red Fury by an injury to Nico Williams, but Pedri’s goal and a Merino brace settled the contest early. After the break, Ferran Torres found the net, Pedri completed his double, and Merino capped off his night with a stunning hat-trick.
Remarkably, the Arsenal midfielder has already scored six goals in six appearances for Spain in 2025. He also became just the second midfielder in Spanish history to net three times in a single match—the first being Isco against Argentina in 2018.
As a reminder, after two matches Spain tops their group standings. The reigning European champions will play their next fixture on October 11 against Georgia.
