One day before the match. Euro 2016 winner dismissed as Azerbaijan head coach
Miguel Solomons
Dailysports's expert
Azerbaijan suffered a crushing 0-5 defeat to Iceland in their opening 2026 World Cup qualifier. That game turned out to be the final one for their head coach.
Details: Fernando Santos has been dismissed from his role as head coach of Azerbaijan. The announcement came just one day before the match against Ukraine, scheduled for Tuesday, September 9. The team will now be prepared for that clash by U21 coach Aykhan Abbasov.
In the qualifier, Spain’s midfielder Mikel Merino delivered a hat-trick, taking his tally to six goals in six appearances for Spain in 2025. He also became just the second midfielder in Spain’s history to score three goals in a single match — the first was Isco against Argentina in 2018.
Reminder: Norway national team striker Erling Haaland is ramping up preparations for his side’s upcoming match. The forward shared a fresh training snap on his Instagram page.
