Spain vs Croatia: Yamal Brace Powers Spain to 4-1 Nations League Win
Spain continued their strong start to the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League with a 4-1 victory over Croatia in Seville, as Lamine Yamal scored twice and helped create another goal.
The result gave Spain two wins from two matches in League A Group 3 and extended their unbeaten run to 40 matches.
Lamine Yamal strikes twice
Spain needed only two minutes to open the scoring.
Yamal finished after a clever touch from Fermín López, giving Spain an early advantage at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium.
Croatia responded before halftime through Dion Beljo, who headed in Ivan Perišić's cross to make it 1-1.
Spain quickly restored their lead. Yamal provided the delivery for Marc Pubill, who headed home to put the hosts 2-1 ahead.
Yamal then scored his second of the night when he received a pass from Pedri and finished at the near post.
The Barcelona forward entered the match having already scored against England in Spain's opening Nations League fixture. His two goals against Croatia took his tournament tally to three goals after two matches.
Nico Williams completes Spain's win
Spain continued to control the match after taking a two-goal advantage.
Nico Williams added Spain's fourth goal in the 89th minute, completing a 4-1 victory for the reigning world champions.
The win means Spain have scored seven goals across their first two Nations League matches while conceding three.
Spain remain perfect in Group A3
Spain began the Nations League campaign with a 3-2 victory over England at Wembley before defeating Croatia.
The six points leave Spain at the top of Group A3 after Matchday 2. Croatia, meanwhile, had entered the match with three points after beating Czechia in their opening fixture.
The Spain-Croatia meeting was also a rematch of the 2023 UEFA Nations League final, when Spain defeated Croatia on penalties after a goalless draw.
Yamal among Nations League's leading scorers
Yamal's two-goal performance also moved him into the leading group of scorers in the 2026/27 Nations League.
UEFA listed Yamal among the players with three goals, alongside Switzerland's Zeki Amdouni, Norway's Erling Haaland and Finland's Joel Pohjanpalo.
His latest performance also continued a strong international run following Spain's successful 2026 World Cup campaign.
What the result means for Croatia
Croatia's defeat leaves them with three points after two Group A3 matches.
They had opened their campaign with a 2-1 victory over Czechia, with Luka Modrić among the scorers. Against Spain, however, Croatia were unable to contain Yamal and Spain's attacking movement after the teams reached halftime level.
The result gives Spain an early advantage in the group as the Nations League campaign continues.
