Yamal leads Spain to victory

Spain emerged victorious from their home opener as champions of the 2026 World Cup, securing a commanding 4-1 win over Croatia in Seville on Tuesday. The match, part of the second round of Group 3 in the UEFA Nations League, featured a brace and an assist from Lamine Yamal. The players of coach Luis de la Fuente delivered their finest performance at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán stadium, just two months after claiming the world title by defeating Lionel Messi and the Argentine national team.

Some Spanish champions had already celebrated their second star, whether in the streets of Madrid after the triumph, during individual ceremonies in their hometowns, or on La Liga pitches, but they had never celebrated it together within one of their own stadiums. They finally had the opportunity on Tuesday against a familiar opponent, Croatia, whose captain Luka Modrić, the ageless legend, was kept on the bench until the final minutes, much like Rodri on the Spanish side. Modrić had scored on Saturday in a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic in his 203rd international appearance at the age of 41.

Despite the struggles Spain faced at Wembley against England in the first round, La Roja’s players, as their coach emphasized, proved they remain hungry for victories (3-2). Spain did not give their guests any chance to settle into the game, opening the scoring in less than two minutes through Yamal, following a clever pass from Fermín López (2nd minute), replicating the scenario against England where he also scored in under two minutes. However, Croatia equalized with a header from Duvan Zapata, assisted by Ivan Perišić (28th minute), scoring his first international goal in his third cap for his country.

Spain’s response was swift. Following a corner and a cross from Yamal, Marc Bernal pounced and headed the ball into the net (31st minute), also scoring his first international goal in his fifth appearance. Mikel Oyarzabal thought he had added a third for the hosts, but the goal was disallowed for offside (36th minute), and the right post then blocked Fermín López’s shot (45th minute).

Croatia, playing their second match under their former coach Slaven Bilić, improved at the start of the second half, but Yamal made the difference. He dribbled down the right flank after a precise through ball from substitute Pedri, before firing a shot from a very difficult angle into the net of Dominik Livaković (63rd minute). Yamal was then replaced by Víctor Muñoz, while Rodri came on for Martín Zubimendi and Modrić replaced Petar Suić, with no further changes to the scoreline until the 89th minute, when the other substitute, Nico Williams, added a fourth goal after cutting in from the left and shooting from a tight angle.