Four goals in Seville

Spain defeated Croatia 4-1 at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium in Seville on Tuesday, maintaining a perfect start in UEFA Nations League Group A3 and extending their unbeaten streak to 40 matches. The fixture was Spain's first home match since winning the World Cup in July, preceded by Rodri parading the trophy on the pitch. Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the second minute, curling a low shot inside the far post after Alex Baena played the ball into the penalty area and Fermin Lopez provided a dummy. Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic parried a second effort from Baena before Dion Beljo levelled the score with a 28th-minute header.

Spain retook the lead three minutes later when Yamal crossed from the right wing into the six-yard box for Marc Pubill to score with a header. In the 63rd minute, Yamal collected a pass from Pedri inside the area and scored his second goal with an angled shot. Substitute Nico Williams completed the scoring in the 89th minute, sealing Spain's second group victory following their 3-2 win against England at Wembley.

Ovation for Modric and squad changes

Croatia midfielder Luka Modric received a standing ovation from Spanish supporters when he began warming up along the touchline in the 62nd minute. The 41-year-old Milan midfielder, who won 28 trophies in 13 seasons with Real Madrid between 2012 and 2025, entered the match in the 81st minute in place of Petar Sucic. After the final whistle, Spanish players including Yamal, Fermin, and Mikel Merino greeted Modric on the pitch. Modric later posted a photograph of himself applauding on Instagram with the caption "Thank you very much, Spain".

Following the match, Spain confirmed a squad change ahead of their fixtures against the Czech Republic in Oviedo and Croatia in Split. Left-back Alex Grimaldo withdrew from the national camp after feeling discomfort in his quadriceps during warm-up rondos on Tuesday. National coach Luis de la Fuente called up Real Betis defender Fran Garcia on Wednesday as cover for starter Marc Cucurella.

De la Fuente urges caution

Luis de la Fuente warned his players against complacency in his post-match press conference despite the wide margin of victory. The manager noted that Spain could have scored four or five goals in each half through sustained possession and aerial control, but stated that the squad has not reached its ceiling. He emphasized that the group must maintain its collective work rate.

“One day they will give us a blow, they will beat us and we will talk about the opposite.”

De la Fuente also praised Yamal's humility, noting that the forward's attitude helps integrate his individual quality into the team structure. The manager stated that Spanish football deserves greater recognition, citing Ballon d'Or contenders including Fabian Ruiz, Yamal, Rodri, Cucurella, and Ferran Torres.

England secure victory in Prague

In the other Group A3 fixture on Tuesday, England secured a 2-0 victory against the Czech Republic in Prague. The hosts were reduced to ten men in the 23rd minute when Pavel Sulc received a red card for a foul on Elliot Anderson. England struggled to break through before the interval, though Morgan Rogers struck the post and Robin Hranac blocked a shot from Anderson.

England took the lead two minutes into the second half when Trent Alexander-Arnold, making his first international start in nearly two years, crossed for Anthony Gordon to steer a header into the bottom corner. The result gave manager Thomas Tuchel his second consecutive group win.