Lamine Yamal delivered a virtuoso display at the Sánchez-Pizjuán on Tuesday night, scoring twice and providing an assist as world champions Spain dismantled Croatia 4-1 in UEFA Nations League Group A3.
The 19-year-old Barcelona winger needed just 70 seconds to open the scoring, latching onto a loose pass and steering the ball past Dominik Livakovic. It was the quickest goal of the Nations League matchday and a statement of intent from a player who has now scored in back-to-back international outings following his opener at Wembley against England.
Croatia, fielding a squad with an average age well above Spain's youthful lineup, showed resilience when Dion Drena Beljo equalised in the 28th minute. The striker capitalised on a rare defensive lapse to level the scores and briefly threaten an upset at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán.
But Spain's response was emphatic. From a short corner in the 31st minute, Yamal exchanged a quick combination with Fermín López before lofting a precise cross to the back post, where Marc Pubill rose above the Croatian defence to power a header into the roof of the net.
Yamal then took centre stage again in the 63rd minute. Pedri threaded a pass into the teenager's path on the left side, and the youngster cut inside before firing a low shot that evaded Livakovic's reach. It was his second goal of the evening and his seventh in his last five appearances for club and country combined.
The Sánchez-Pizjuán crowd rose as one when Yamal was substituted in the 68th minute, receiving a standing ovation that spoke to the scale of his performance. Mikel Oyarzabal took his place, but Spain were not finished. In the 89th minute, Mikel Merino played a first-time through ball that split the Croatian back line, and Nico Williams raced beyond Joško Gvardiol before finishing calmly in a one-on-one to make it 4-1.
The victory extended Spain's unbeaten run to 40 consecutive matches, the longest streak in the history of men's international football. Luis de la Fuente's side, who had already staged a dramatic 3-2 comeback at Wembley on matchday one, now sit top of Group A3 with maximum points.
For Croatia, the defeat raises questions about the generational transition facing Slaven Bilić's side. Luka Modrić, at 41, still controlled phases of play in midfield but could not stem the tide of Spanish possession, which reached 64 percent over the 90 minutes. Spain also outshot their opponents 16 to 5, with seven efforts on target compared to Croatia's two.
Sources
- https://www.101greatgoals.com/match-reports/spain-4-1-croatia-report-result-and-goals-as-yamal-steals-the-show-in-dominant-win/
- https://www.sportmediaset.mediaset.it/nationsleague/nations-league-spagna-croazia-e-anche-yamal-contro-modric_117076220-202602k.shtml
