Yamal scores twice as Spain beat Croatia 4-1 to top Nations League group
Lamine Yamal scored twice and assisted Marc Pubill's first Spain goal as the hosts beat Croatia 4-1 in Sevilla and stretched their unbeaten run to 40 matches.
Lamine Yamal scored twice and set up another as Spain beat Croatia 4-1 in UEFA Nations League Group A3 at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán in Sevilla on 29 September, a result that extended Spain's unbeaten run to 40 consecutive matches, per ESPN. In front of a crowd of 40,294, Spain scored twice in each half and finished with 16 shots to Croatia's five.
How it unfolded
Yamal opened the scoring in the 2nd minute with a left-footed shot from the centre of the box into the bottom left corner, set up by Álex Baena. Croatia drew level in the 28th minute when Dion Beljo headed in an Ivan Perisic cross, per ESPN, from the centre of the box into the top left corner.
Spain went back in front three minutes later. Yamal's cross from a corner found Marc Pubill, who headed in from very close range for his first goal for Spain, per ESPN. That made it 2-1, and the score stayed that way until half-time.
Croatia made a change at the break, sending on Luka Vuskovic for Marin Pongracic, who had been booked in the 18th minute. Spain changed their midfield in the 57th minute, bringing on Pedri and Mikel Merino for Fabián Ruiz and Fermín López, and both substitutes had a hand in the goals that followed.
Pedri supplied the pass for Yamal's second in the 63rd minute, a left-footed finish from a difficult angle on the right into the bottom right corner. Yamal was replaced by Víctor Muñoz five minutes later, when Nico Williams also came on for Baena. Williams then completed the scoring in the 89th minute with a left-footed shot from the left side of the box, assisted by Merino, per ESPN. Croatia sent on Luka Modric for Petar Sucic in the 81st minute but could not find a second goal.
De la Fuente on Yamal
Yamal's two goals and one assist, per ESPN, came in 68 minutes on the pitch. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente praised his attitude as much as his output: "Lamine wants to show the world the kind of player he is. We're delighted with him. His behaviour is so humble, and that makes him even greater," he said, per ESPN. He added: "Today we enjoyed his magic again, but he puts his magic at the service of the team. That says a lot about the player," per ESPN.
The numbers
| Stat | Spain | Croatia |
|---|---|---|
| Possession | 63.7% | 36.3% |
| Shots | 16 | 5 |
| Shots on target | 7 | 2 |
| Accurate passes | 568 of 620 (91.6%) | 296 of 347 (85.3%) |
| Corners | 6 | 2 |
| Saves | 1 | 3 |
| Fouls | 9 | 10 |
| Yellow cards | 1 | 4 |
Spain held 63.7 per cent of the ball and completed 568 of their 620 passes. Dean Huijsen alone completed 93, while Fermín López led the side with four shots before his withdrawal. Marc Pubill added nine interceptions to his goal. Croatia had 347 passes in total and five shots, two of them from Beljo, and goalkeeper Unai Simón was asked to make only one save. Croatia picked up four yellow cards, for Pongracic, Sucic, Marco Pasalic and Josip Misic, against one for Spain's Baena.
What it means for Group A3
Spain lead the group by three points on 6 points from two matches, per ESPN, with a goal difference of +4. The win came three days after they beat England 3-2 away in their opening Nations League match, per ESPN. England are second on 3 points with a goal difference of +1, and Croatia third on 3 points with -2.
| 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 |
Croatia had opened their campaign with a 2-1 away win over Czechia on 26 September, per ESPN, so this was their first defeat of the group stage. The last meeting between the sides before this one also went Spain's way: a 3-0 win on 15 June 2024.
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in the FIFA World Cup on 19 July, and have now won both of their Nations League matches, scoring seven goals and conceding three.