• Gerard Piqué again the target of jeers as place in Russia is sealed • Iceland edge closer while Italy are held by MacedoniaSpain sealed their place in next year’s World Cup with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Albania while Iceland are on the verge of their first finals after recording a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Turkey in Istanbul. Pique’s night at Alicante’s Jose Rico Perez stadium did not run quite so serenely, however. The Barcelona defender has found himself headline news and in the firing line following last weekend’s controversial independence referendum in Catalonia. Pique has since found support from within the national team, but has also been the subject of boos from irate Spain fans throughout the week. A stoppage-time equaliser from Pyry Soiri left qualification out of the hands of Croatia, who led through Mario Mandzukic’s 57th-minute tap-in.

Source: The Guardian October 06, 2017 21:25 UTC