With goals from Merino and Oyarzabal, Spain defeated Bulgaria 4-0 in Group E of the 2026 World Cup European qualifiers. Merino, who plays for Arsenal, expressed his pride in playing for Spain and expressed his hope to continue this momentum.

In the 35th minute of the match, Pedri made a lob pass, Lenormand headed the ball from the penalty area, and Merino headed it in, giving Spain a 1-0 lead. In the 57th minute of the second half, Grimaldo made a lob pass in front of the goal, and Merino jumped up and headed the ball into the goal, helping Spain continue to lead Bulgaria 2-0.

In the 79th minute, Alex García's cross from the left was deflected into the net by Chernev, extending Spain's lead to 3-0. In second-half stoppage time, Merino was brought down by an opposing player during an attack, prompting a penalty kick. Oyarzabal converted the penalty kick, making it 4-0.

Spain ultimately defeated Bulgaria 4-0 at home. With four consecutive wins, Spain currently leads Group E with 12 points, putting them on track to qualify for the World Cup finals.

Merino, 29, said: "I am in very good form now and have been scoring goals recently. Of course, the most important thing is that the team can win, but it feels great to play freely on the court and actively press in the frontcourt. It is always difficult to play against a team like this that is very tight in overall defense."

"Pedri is a genius, this adjective is perfect. Just look at his performance every three days for Barcelona and the national team. His control of the ball and his understanding of the situation on the field are impeccable. In two consecutive games, his cooperation with Lenormand was almost identical, and both assists were very clever. This shows that as long as Pedri has the ball, his teammates must be prepared at any time because anything can happen."

Merino added: "It's an incredibly proud feeling to be able to play for the national team and this big family. Growing up, I always dreamed of playing with these top players. Now I'm surrounded by such talent and have scored a lot of goals recently. It's a dream come true to play for the national team. I hope we can keep this momentum going."

In addition, Spanish coach De La Fuente said in an interview, "Pedri is a really likable player. He can see things that others can't see. The first goal cooperation between him and Lenormand is almost the same as the goal in the previous game. Now we have tied Spain's longest unbeaten record, but this is the credit of the players, not mine."

"We are still hungry for more. This team never tires of pursuing victories and new achievements. We have two tough games next month and we must focus on beating Georgia because we are not at the stage where we can accept congratulations for advancing."