Spain Continues Unbeaten Streak... Modric Scores in Croatia's Win
Spain defeated England 3-2 in their 39th unbeaten match, while Modric scored in Croatia's 2-1 victory over Czechia, sharing the top spot.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
Spain’s national team, the world champions, extended their unbeaten run to 39 matches with a 3-2 victory over England at Wembley Stadium, while veteran Luka Modric scored as Croatia defeated host nation Czechia 2-1 on Saturday in the opening round of Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League.
Croatia and Spain share top spot in the group, with Spain holding the advantage on goal difference. Czechia sit bottom without any points, trailing third-placed England on goal difference.
Spain will host Croatia on Tuesday in Seville, while England travel to Czechia for the second round of matches.
In the first match, Spain’s goals came from Lamine Yamal (2), and substitutes Alex Baena (60) and Mikel Oyarzabal (74). England’s goals were scored by Anthony Gordon (36) and captain Harry Kane (40), who missed a second-half penalty.
This was the 39th match for the world champions under manager Luis de la Fuente, remaining unbeaten since a 1-0 friendly loss to Colombia on March 22, 2024—three and a half years ago—setting a European record.
Spain have reached at least the final in the last three editions of the competition, while England have reached the semi-finals only once, having been relegated to League B in the 2022-23 season.
In the second match, veteran captain Modric (41) gave Croatia the lead early in the second half following a pass from Freiburg striker Igor Matanovic (47). However, Czechia equalized seven minutes later through Adam Karabec, assisted by Adam Hlousek.
Mario Pasalic sealed the win for Croatia in the 77th minute, finishing off a pass from veteran winger Ivan Perisic of PSV Eindhoven.
This was Croatia’s first victory under their new coach, former player Slaven Bilic, who succeeded Zlatko Dalic, who resigned after Croatia’s exit in the Round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup to Portugal.
The former defender, who previously managed the national team between 2006 and 2012, takes over from the most successful coach in the country’s history, Dalic, who led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final and third place in the 2022 edition.
