Spain vs. Israel: Score and Reaction for World Cup 2018 Qualifying

Spain cruised to yet another win in Group G of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifying on Friday, beating Israel 4-1 in Gijon. 

David Silva gave the hosts an early lead and Vitolo added to the advantage at the end of a dire first half. Diego Costa made it 4-0 in the second half, and Lior Refaelov scored Israel's lone goal. Isco added to the tally with a late strike.

Spain manager Julen Lopetegui made several changes to his team in comparison to the win over Macedonia, with Sergio Ramos, Gerard Pique and Jordi Alba all starting, per Footballespana:

The first chance fell to Israel, as Eran Zahavi―by far the team's most dangerous player in the first half―put David De Gea to work.

But as expected, the match soon fell into a pattern of Spain dominating possession and looking for chances. Thiago smashed a shot off the crossbar after just a few minutes, and Vitolo was unable to guide the rebound home.

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Zahavi nearly worked his way around Pique but couldn't finish, and Israel found tons of space on the counter, sending a handful of warning signs to La Roja. But their defensive tactics became useless after 13 minutes when Alba played in Silva with a ball through the legs of a defender, and the Manchester City man smashed home the opener.

Sports writer Sid Lowe was impressed:

Eitan Tibi left the pitch on a stretcher shortly after following a clash with Costa. The Spanish striker wasn't carded for the foul.

Alba nearly gifted Zahavi the equaliser with a poor pass, but the forward decided to shoot early rather than continue his run and fired just wide of the post.

While the first 25 minutes were played at a decent pace, Spain's lead led to a dull finish to the half. The hosts took their foot off the gas and Israel lacked the ambition to make the play themselves, leading to little action as half-time drew near.

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Spain almost played at a walking pace, and it nearly cost them just before half-time. Refaelov's header was well-placed, and De Gea had to use all of his talent to make the save.

ESPN's Marc Stein never hides his Manchester City fandom, and he didn't make an exception on Friday:

Two minutes later, Vitolo doubled the lead, as goalkeeper Ofir Marciano let a fairly weak shot slip his grasp and find the net.

During half-time, Lowe kept himself entertained by reading the team sheet:

Costa wasn't very involved during the first half, but the team worked him into their chances better to start the second. The Chelsea man nearly found the back of the net early with a header, but he had more luck after 51 minutes, again thanks to a mistake from Marciano.

AS English described his outing this way:

Silva struck the woodwork shortly after, as Israel lost control of the match and were in real danger of getting embarrassed.

A number of substitutions halted the hosts' momentum, however, and once again led to a major drop in tempo. Spain were content with their healthy lead and happy to just play out the match. 

Out of nowhere, Israel got on the board after 76 minutes. Rami Gershon was left wide open and struck the post with a header, and Refaelov blasted home the rebound.

Again, Lowe was impressed:

Silva should have added another goal to the scoreline but opted to pass to Vitolo instead, and the forward couldn't finish the chance. 

Isco fared better, putting the final score on the board after 88 minutes.

Manager Lopetegui took to Twitter to thank the fans after the match:

Spain's next outing will be the friendly against France on Tuesday. Israel won't play another match until June.