November 15, (THEWILL) — Mikel Oyarzabal netted twice on Saturday evening to guide Spain to a commanding 4-0 victory over Georgia, leaving La Roja on the verge of World Cup qualification.
The Real Sociedad forward converted an 11th-minute penalty and added a second shortly after the hour mark in a dominant performance.
Spain now top Group E with five matches played, holding a three-point advantage over second-placed Turkiye ahead of Tuesday’s crucial final group encounter between the two nations.
The hosts controlled proceedings throughout at their home stadium, creating numerous chances against a Georgian side that struggled to contain the attacking threat.
The opening goal arrived when Giorgi Gocholeishvili was penalised for handball following Ferran Torres’s blocked shot, with Oyarzabal dispatching the spot-kick into the bottom-right corner.
Martin Zubimendi doubled the lead in the 22nd minute with a delicate chip over goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, before Ferran Torres tapped into an unguarded net from Oyarzabal’s low delivery on 34 minutes.
Mamardashvili produced an outstanding save to deny Oyarzabal before the interval, but the forward claimed his second goal just past the hour when he headed Pedro Porro’s cross back across goal and in via the post.
Alex Baena had earlier struck the foot of the left post from distance during Spain’s first-half dominance.
Late drama saw Mamardashvili smother Borja Iglesias’s attempt, whilst Georgia nearly benefited from an own goal when Marcos Llorente’s block struck the post before the midfielder cleared the rebound off the line with his heel.
Spain will clinch qualification with a positive result against Turkiye in their decisive group fixture.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
