Lamine Yamal scored twice and set up another goal as Spain beat Croatia 4-1 at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán in Seville on Tuesday, 29 September. The result gives the World Cup holders two wins from two in UEFA Nations League Group A3 and stretches their unbeaten run to 40 international matches. Yamal is only 19, and the night took his tally to 10 international goals in 35 appearances.
How Spain beat Croatia in Seville
It was Spain’s first home match since winning the World Cup in July, and Rodri paraded the trophy on the pitch before kick-off, Al Jazeera reported. Yamal then needed only 75 seconds to score the opener, according to beIN Sports. Opta noted it was the second match running in which Spain had scored inside the first two minutes, after the same start against England.
Alex Baena had an effort saved by Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livaković soon after, and the visitors then equalised against the run of play. Dion Beljo headed in an Ivan Perišić cross in the 28th minute. Spain restored their lead in under three minutes, when Yamal crossed from the right and Marc Pubill headed in to make it 2-1 at the interval.
Croatia’s changes and a second half of pressure
Croatia coach Slaven Bilić had made six changes from the side that beat the Czech Republic at the weekend, leaving Luka Modrić on the bench. After the break Spain kept control of possession, and Livaković made several saves that held the deficit to a single goal until the hour mark had passed.
The third arrived in the 63rd minute. Yamal collected a pass from Pedri inside the box and drove his shot in at the near post from a tight angle, beating Livaković, his Barcelona team-mate. Nico Williams then added a fourth with fewer than two minutes left, dribbling through the defence and finishing cleanly to make the final score 4-1.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said afterwards that the first half could have ended 4-1 or 5-1, and that Croatia, a team he called strong in the air and solid in defence, had demanded concentration throughout. He also singled out Yamal’s work, collectively and individually, and said Spain were fortunate to have him.
A fixture with recent history
The two sides have met in several high-stakes fixtures recently. Spain beat Croatia on penalties to win the 2023 Nations League final, then won 3-0 in their opening match at Euro 2024, where Yamal, then 16, became the youngest player to feature at a European Championship and set up Dani Carvajal’s goal. Tuesday’s meeting carried less at stake, but the result followed the same direction.
Lamine Yamal’s numbers, and the Ballon d’Or timing
The second goal took Yamal to 10 for Spain in 35 appearances, according to AFP. He had arrived in Seville having scored in Saturday’s 3-2 win over England at Wembley, as had Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal. Against Croatia, he scored two of Spain’s four goals and provided the cross for a third, so he had a direct hand in three of them.
Voting for the Ballon d’Or closed on Monday, a day before this match, and the winner will be announced on 26 October, beIN Sports reported. That means Tuesday’s goals could not have changed any ballots, so they say more about his current form than about the award.
Where Group A3 stands after Matchday 2
Spain lead the group on six points after beating England and Croatia in successive matches. England moved into second place the same evening by beating a Czech Republic side reduced to 10 men 2-0 in Prague, which pushed Croatia down to third.
Croatia’s next fixture is a home game against England in Rijeka on Saturday, a meeting of the teams currently placed third and second. Readers following the wider sports calendar can also read HCN’s report on the Yankees’ shutout of the Red Sox in Game 1 of their Wild Card series.
What is still unresolved is how the group settles. Spain hold the lead, England and Croatia meet on Saturday with second place at stake, and Yamal’s own year will be judged when the Ballon d’Or winner is named on 26 October.