Lamine Yamal Leads Spain to Big Win over Croatia in UEFA Nations League

Al-Taj News – Spain emerged victorious in their first home appearance as 2026 World Cup champions, securing a big 4-1 win over Croatia on Tuesday in Seville, thanks to a brace and an assist from Lamine Yamal, in the second round of Group C matches in the UEFA Nations League.

Coach Luis de la Fuente’s men presented their most prized trophy at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium two months after being crowned world champions at the expense of Lionel Messi and his teammates in the Argentina national team.

Some of Spain’s champions had already celebrated the second star, whether in the streets of Madrid after the title triumph, during individual ceremonies in their hometowns, or at Spanish league stadiums, but they had never celebrated it together inside one of their stadiums before.

On Tuesday, they finally had that opportunity against an opponent they have faced frequently, in the form of Croatia, who kept their ageless captain Luka Modrić, who scored on Saturday in the 2-1 win over Czechia in his 203rd international appearance at the age of 41, on the bench until the final minutes, as was Rodri on the other side.

Despite the difficulties Spain faced at Wembley against England in the opening round, the “La Roja” players, as their coach emphasized, have shown that they remain hungry for victories (3-2).

They entered this match with the same passion and extended their record for the most consecutive matches without defeat to 40, specifically since the friendly against Colombia on March 22, 2024 (0-1), that is, for three and a half years, securing their fourth consecutive victory over Croatia and their eighth overall in 12 meetings between the two sides.

Spain reached at least the final in the last three editions of the competition and won the title in 2023 when they defeated Croatia in the final itself, and they appear to be candidates for another title to add to the Euro 2024 trophy.