Yamal Makes History with Spain
Madrid – AFP – Lamia Yamal continued his remarkable brilliance with the Spanish national team, scoring for the third consecutive match during the current international break, an achievement never before accomplished with the national side.
Yamal scored for the world champions in the sixth minute of their 3-1 victory over Czechia in Oviedo, in the third round of Group 3, League A of the UEFA Nations League.
After netting against England in the second minute, then scoring two goals and providing an assist against Croatia, Yamal has now accumulated 12 goals and seven assists in his last nine matches for Barcelona and his national team.
At just 19 years old, Yamal has reached 11 goals in 36 international appearances, a striking record for a player who has already won the World Cup and the European Championship with Spain.
Spanish journalist and statistics expert Alexis Martin Tamayo, known as “Mr. Chip,” revealed that Yamal has become the first player in history to score within the first six minutes in three consecutive matches for his national team, since Kyrgyzstan’s Anton Zemlianukhin, who scored against Brunei, Myanmar, and India in the first, fifth, and second minutes, respectively, between late 2018 and early 2019.
After Spain took a 2-0 lead by halftime, coach Luis de la Fuente substituted Yamal for the second half, as part of his careful management of players’ minutes amid a congested fixture schedule.
The coach praised Yamal at the press conference, saying, “His development has become a daily reality we see when he scores. I put my hand on my head in admiration, not surprise. If he were the only Spanish player nominated for the Ballon d’Or, I would say he is the best player in the world.”
Spain’s “La Roja” extended their unbeaten run to 41 consecutive matches, a streak that began in 2024, confirming their top position in the group with nine points, three points ahead of England, who thrashed host Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka.
Following the crushing defeat, England manager Thomas Tuchel confirmed that the team had healed from the painful exit at the World Cup, just three months after facing harsh criticism for their controversial role in being eliminated from the tournament.
Tuchel said, “I have said many times that we will always carry a scar, and we will always feel pain and disappointment. That is the nature of things, but this is the way to move forward.”
Croatia had lost only four of their previous 41 home matches, but England delivered an outstanding performance, inflicting on Croatia their heaviest defeat in history since a 6-0 loss to Spain in 2018.
After the humiliating defeat, veteran Croatian captain Luka Modric told the local newspaper “Jutarnji”: “It is difficult to find an explanation for such a performance that lacked tackles, fouls, fighting spirit, and cohesion. I have been here for 20 years, but for the first time, I feel ashamed.”
