Spain vs Croatia ended 4-1 in Seville on Tuesday night, and for long spells it felt like a one player show. Lamine Yamal scored inside two minutes, set up Marc Pubill for the second, then added his own second on 63 minutes before Nico Williams wrapped it up late. The win keeps Spain perfect in Nations League Group A3 and stretches their record unbeaten run to 40 matches, as ESPN, Yahoo Sports and the Associated Press all noted.
It was also a homecoming of sorts. This was Spain’s first home match since they won the World Cup in July, and the Associated Press reported that captain Rodri lifted the trophy in front of the crowd at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán before kick off.
How the Spain vs Croatia goals went in
2 minutes, Yamal (1-0). Spain scored almost straight away. A flowing move down the left ended with the ball worked across and Yamal finishing, according to Croatia Week and Yahoo Sports.
28 minutes, Dion Drena Beljo (1-1). Croatia hit back when Ivan Perišić crossed from the left and Beljo headed in. Croatia Week reported it was his first international goal, in only his third appearance.
31 minutes, Marc Pubill (2-1). Spain were back in front three minutes later. Yamal delivered from the right and Pubill found space in the six yard box to score his first goal for Spain.
63 minutes, Yamal (3-1). Pedri found Yamal, who cut inside and beat Dominik Livaković at his near post.
89 minutes, Nico Williams (4-1). The substitute added a fourth in the closing minutes, with ESPN crediting Mikel Merino with the assist.
Spain vs Croatia by the numbers
| Number | What it means |
|---|---|
| 40 | Matches unbeaten for Spain, a run ESPN and AP both describe as a record |
| 3 | Goal involvements for Yamal (two goals, one assist) |
| 7 | Straight Nations League group wins for Spain, according to AP |
| 11 | Goals for Yamal in his last eight games for club and country, according to AP |
| 1 | International goals for Beljo, scored on his third cap |
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente was full of praise afterwards. “He puts his magic at the service of the team. That says a lot about the player,” he said of Yamal, as quoted by ESPN.
Group A3 table and why it matters
On the same night England beat ten man Czechia 2-0 in Prague (read our Czechia vs England report). That leaves Spain three points clear after two games. For casual fans, the format is simple: the top two in each League A group go through to the quarter-finals, while the bottom side is at risk of relegation.
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | +4 | 6 |
| England | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | +1 | 3 |
| Croatia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | −2 | 3 |
| Czechia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | −3 | 0 |
What’s next for Spain and Croatia
Both play again on Saturday, October 3. Croatia host England at Stadion HNK Rijeka at 6pm local time (5pm BST, 12pm ET, 9pm PKT). Spain welcome Czechia to the Estadio Carlos Tartiere in Oviedo at 8:45pm local time (7:45pm BST, 2:45pm ET, 11:45pm PKT).
Then comes the rematch. Croatia vs Spain is set for Tuesday, October 6, at Stadion Poljud in Split, kicking off at 8:45pm local time (7:45pm BST, 2:45pm ET, 11:45pm PKT).
