Paris: Former champions Spain and Italy eased to comfortable 4-0 wins over weak opponents in European qualifying for the 2018 World Cup on Saturday.
A Spain side missing several players due to injury tacked on some late goals to trounce Macedonia while Italy eased up after a first-half barrage at Liechtenstein to remain tied atop Group G with 10 points each.
Ireland seized control of Group D with a 1-0 win over Austria, while rivals Wales and Serbia drew 1-1 after a dramatic end in Cardiff.
Croatia led Group I after Marcelo Brozovic scored twice in a 2-0 win over Iceland.
Only the group winner automatically secures a spot for the World Cup in Russia. The second-place team must go through a playoff to make it to the 2018 tournament.
Macedonia made a promising start to the match in Granada but went behind for good in the first half when Darko Velkovski’s headed clearance landed in his own net.
Victor “Vitolo” Machin scored Spain’s second goal to put the result beyond doubt, and Nacho Monreal and substitute Artiz Aduriz rounded off the win late.
Spain was without the injured Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos and Jordi Alba.
“We were without several players, but it’s true that their absences create opportunities,” Spain coach Julen Lopetegui said. “We have players with talent, attitude and ambition and they showed that tonight.”
Italy was led by forward Andrea Belotti, who opened and completed the quartet of goals just before halftime at Liechtenstein. In between his strikes, Ciro Immobile and Antonio Candreva scored.
Israel moved into third place with nine points after winning 3-0 at 10-man Albania in a match played under tight security. Media reports alleged a group of 15 persons arrested in Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia, planned an attack during the game. Albania has six points, and Macedonia and Liechtenstein zero.
Taking on minnows Liechtenstein, Italy’s Anfrea Belotti scored either side of strikes from Ciro Imobile and Antonio Candreva.
Eran Zahavi converted an 18th minute penalty to set Israel on their way with Dan Einbinder and Eliran Atar making sure they beat Albania 3-0 in Tirana.
Iceland failed to replicate their Euro 2016 heroics in a 2-0 defeat in Croatia, who are first in Group I. Croatia grabbed the lead after 15 minutes through Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, but it was Iceland who took control after that in Zagreb, where the game was played out in front of empty stands after a FIFA stadium ban.
Despite having plenty of the ball in both halves, Iceland failed to make the crucial breakthrough.
And the home side punished them in injury time, Brozovic again doing the damage against the run of play.
Croatia, now top of the group with 10 points from four games, finished the match with 10 men after Ivan Perisic was sent off at the death.
Also in Group I, Turkey revived their slim hopes of making it to Russia in 2018 with a 2-0 home victory over Kosovo in Antalya.
Burak Yilmaz and Volkan Sen scored within four minutes of one another in the second half to leave Kosovo bottom on just a solitary point.
Georgia and Moldova played out a 1-1 draw in Tbilisi to remain rooted in the bottom two spots in Group D.
