VADUZ, Liechtenstein: Spain hammered Liechtenstein 8-0 as Alvaro Morata and Iago Aspas both struck twice to maintain their country’s lead over Italy at the top of World Cup qualifying Group G last night.
The victory in Vaduz took Spain to 22 points from eight games, three ahead of the Italians who beat Israel 1-0 in Tel Aviv thanks to Ciro Immobile’s second-half strike.
Julen Lopetegui’s Spain side scored three goals in the first 16 minutes to ensure the rest of the game was a formality against the overwhelmed hosts.
Spain beat Liechtenstein by the same score in Lopetegui’s first match in charge last year, and this was another example of the verve and style he has his team playing with.
A wasteful Wales scored two late goals to beat Moldova 2-0 as a diving header by Hal Robson-Kanu and a deflected Aaron Ramsey strike spared their blushes against Group D’s bottom side.
With group rivals Ireland slumping to a 1-0 defeat at home to Serbia, the result lifted Wales into second place ahead of the Irish, with the two sides set to meet in their final qualifying game in Cardiff in October.
Though Moldova were stubborn in defence, Wales did not lack chances.
They managed to waste every opportunity they had in the opening 45 minutes, however, with Gareth Bale, Ramsey and Robson-Kanu all spurning chances to break the deadlock.
Iceland gave their hopes of an unlikely World Cup finals appearance a huge boost when two goals from Gylfi Sigurdsson, the first scored controversially, gave them a 2-0 win over Ukraine in a key qualifier.
The win meant Iceland, who delighted the sports world by reaching the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 last year, went level on 16 points with Croatia at the top of Group I. Croatia, beaten 1-0 by Turkey, lead on goal difference.