'Best header in Europe' - Arsenal star scores twice to land 9.5/10 rating for national side

Two Arsenal stars were in action for Spain as they took care of business in their World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night. Spain are attempting to outrun Türkiye at the top of their group, and they remained three points ahead with two games remaining when the thrashed Bulgaria 4-0.

Arsenal star Mikel Merino played 90 minutes in the midfield and scored the first two goals of the evening, with Mikel Oyarzabal ultimately scoring the final goal following an own goal.

Marca gave Merino a whopping 9.5/10 for his performance, reasoning: “Another Gunner in the starting eleven, a player who is constantly netting goals for Spain. He conceded a few in Spain's many attempts on the opposing goal... but almost always with his right foot.

“The first one that fell on his head, he sent into the sack. He could be said to have "the best head in Europe after Churchill." A mistake by Vutsov gave him the chance to double his tally, but he chose to be generous with Samu.

“As we said before the break, he's one of the best headers in Europe; there are few at his level, as he demonstrated in the move that made it 2-0, staying in the air and hammering the ball home to frustrate Vutsov.”

Merino himself said after the game: "I'm getting into the box well and the balls are falling to me. It's no coincidence. I've been wanting to improve my goals and assists for years . We seemed to control the game from start to finish. That's the way forward.”

Spain boss Luis de la Fuente labelled Merino a “very complete player, capable of adapting to different positions naturally.”

Elsewhere, Arsenal star Martin Zubimendi also played, playing 63 minutes in the heart of La Roja’s midfield. He got a 6/10 for his display, with he report adding: “The Arsenal player, one of the national team's untouchables, returned to the starting lineup. He had one of the best chances of the first half, but tried to control instead of shooting first time, and the opportunity was wasted. He was restrained in his start, but lacked brilliance.”

De La Fuente speaks

Speaking after the game, Spain boss De La Fuente said: “We had to grind it out and be consistent. Bulgaria defended very well in a low block and we struggled to convert our chances in the first half.

He added: “ If they (Spain) miss one chance, they'll score another. This team has one strength: many players can score . We could have two or three equally competitive teams. This generation also wants to make history.”

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