Spain defeats Croatia 4-1 in Seville behind two goals from Lamine Yamal

Early breakthrough in Seville

Spain defeated Croatia 4-1 at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium in Seville on Tuesday evening in their second match of the UEFA Nations League campaign. Before kickoff, team captain Rodri and veteran Jesus Navas presented the World Cup trophy to the home supporters. Spain took the lead 70 seconds into the contest after stringing together a sequence of 25 consecutive passes from the opening whistle. Alex Baena delivered the final pass into the penalty area, where Fermin Lopez stepped over the ball to allow Lamine Yamal to curl a left-footed strike past goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic. The goal marked the second straight match in which Spain found the net within the opening two minutes, following Yamal's goal against England at Wembley after 104 seconds.

First-half response and lead restored

Croatia leveled the match during their first sustained period of possession in the first half. Winger Ivan Perisic delivered a cross from the flank that forward Dion Drena Beljo headed past goalkeeper Unai Simon. The tie lasted two minutes before Spain regained the advantage through a set piece. Yamal took a short corner with Fermin Lopez and crossed the ball with his right foot toward the back post. Defender Marc Pubill redirected the delivery into the net to record his first senior international goal for Spain.

Second-half control and late goals

Spain maintained control of possession in the second half while limiting Croatian counter-attacks. Yamal extended Spain's lead to 3-1 after running onto a through ball from Pedri, who had entered the match from the bench. Pubill let the pass run through to Yamal, who beat Livakovic at the near post to complete his second goal of the match. Yamal left the pitch in the 68th minute after registering two goals and one assist. Croatia manager Slaven Bilic brought on 41-year-old midfielder Luka Modric in the 81st minute, drawing applause from the crowd in Seville. Winger Nico Williams completed the scoring in the 89th minute, cutting inside from the flank to make it 4-1.

Group standings and upcoming fixtures

The result leaves Spain at the top of League A Group 3 with six points from two matches, having previously defeated England 3-2 in London. Croatia and England both sit three points behind the group leaders with three points each. Manager Luis de la Fuente rotated his starting squad for the fixture, making five changes from the team that started against England by bringing in Dean Huijsen, Martin Zubimendi, Fermin Lopez, Alex Baena, and Mikel Oyarzabal. Midfielder Fabian Ruiz extended his personal unbeaten run with the national team to 52 consecutive appearances without defeat. Spain has never lost an international match at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan in 28 appearances at the venue. The team travels next to Oviedo to host the Czech Republic on Saturday, before facing Croatia in Split the following Tuesday.