MATCH REPORT | Spain Maintains Perfect Record, Equals Longest Unbeaten Streak (4-0)

LThe Spanish national team arrived at the José Zorrilla Stadium in Valladolid (24,526 spectators) with nine points and twelve goals scored, having yet to concede a single goal. Special mention goes to Unai Simón, who broke his own record of 363 consecutive minutes without conceding and became the most capped player in Athletic Club history (54 appearances), surpassing Joseba Etxeberria. The opponent on this occasion was Bulgaria, who had already been defeated in the opening match of the qualifying phase. This time, the visitors adopted a more defensive approach, allowing Spain to dominate possession.

Pedri took control in the first half, orchestrating all of Spain’s attacking play. Early on, he created a flick-on move that he finished himself, only for the ball to hit the crossbar, and followed up with a volley from a Baena assist after a run down the wing. From that point, the Canarian midfielder began to create serious threats as a playmaker. The opening goal, reminiscent of Yeremy Pino’s strike against Georgia, came from Pedri’s pass over the defense to Le Normand, who set up Mikel Merino unmarked in the six-yard box to head the ball past the goalkeeper.

This victory marks Spain’s fifth consecutive win in Valladolid.

After the break, Borja Iglesias came on to dominate aerial balls into the box, but it was another pinpoint delivery from Grimaldo to Mikel Merino that produced the second goal, as Merino’s header slipped under goalkeeper Vutsov. With this goal, Merino now has six in the qualifying phase, making him Spain’s top scorer and placing him among the leading scorers overall.

Spain continued to threaten Bulgaria’s goal, creating numerous opportunities. The third goal came in the 79th minute, when Aleix García attempted a low cross that deflected into the net off Chernev for an own goal. In stoppage time, Oyarzabal converted a penalty to secure the fourth goal.

With this result, Spain maintains a perfect record in the qualifying phase without conceding a goal, equaling their longest unbeaten run in history (29 matches), a record originally set under Vicente del Bosque. Georgia (in Tbilisi) and Turkey (in Seville) remain the final obstacles in the group stage, where La Roja could mathematically secure qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2026.