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Listen to the article3 min, read by a synthetic voice

In brief

  • The 19-year-old scored in the 6th minute, following second-minute goals against Croatia on Tuesday and England on 26 September.

  • Goals from Rodri in the 35th minute and Mikel Merino in the 89th minute secured the 3-1 win, maintaining an unbeaten streak of 40 to 41 games.

  • Sporting right-back Ivan Fresneda played the full 90 minutes after replacing the injured Pedro Porro, alongside a debut for Espanyol forward Roberto Fernandez.

  • England stayed second in Group A3 with six points following a 7-0 victory in Croatia, where Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka scored two goals each.

Oviedo
Oviedo · Spain
How it came to this
  1. 69th minuteJiri Slama scores for Czechia to make it 2-1
  2. 85th minuteLadislav Krejci receives a second yellow card and is sent off
  3. 89th minuteMikel Merino scores Spain's third goal to seal the 3-1 win

Yamal strikes early in Oviedo

Spain established control at the Estadio Carlos Tartiere in Oviedo after six minutes of play. Lamine Yamal cut inside from the right wing and directed a curling left-footed strike into the top corner past goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky. The 19-year-old forward had previously scored in the second minute against England on 26 September and in the second minute against Croatia on Tuesday. He nearly added a second in the 12th minute when his 20-meter lob drifted narrowly wide. Spain manager Luis de la Fuente expressed admiration from the technical area as his team took the early lead.

“He never ceases to surprise all of us. He has so much talent, so much quality, that the best of Lamine is yet to be seen.”

Luis de la Fuente, head coach of the Spain men's national football team

Match flow and second-half response

Spain increased their advantage in the 35th minute when captain Rodri scored to make it 2-0. De la Fuente substituted Yamal at halftime to manage player workloads across a sequence of four matches in ten days. Czechia mounted a response in the second half as Jiri Slama pulled a goal back in the 69th minute. The visitors had their momentum halted in the 85th minute when captain Ladislav Krejci received a second yellow card and was sent off. Mikel Merino came off the bench to score Spain's third goal in the 89th minute, sealing the 3-1 victory and extending their unbeaten run to at least 40 matches in regulation and extra time.

Squad rotation and international debuts

De la Fuente made nine changes to his starting lineup compared to the previous match, including David Raya stepping in for Unai Simon in goal. Sporting right-back Ivan Fresneda played the full match in his senior international debut after joining the squad on 20 September to replace the injured Pedro Porro. The appearance triggered a 500,000 euro contractual payment from Sporting to Fresneda's former club Real Valladolid. Forward Roberto Fernandez, currently playing for Espanyol, also made his senior debut as a substitute. Fresneda noted his shared career path with Porro, whom he followed from Valladolid to Sporting before replacing him in the national team.

“Everything happened very fast. I was supposed to be with the under-21s the next day and they called me. I have had great weeks with this group and I am learning and enjoying it.”

Ivan Fresneda, sporting CP right-back

Group A3 standings and upcoming fixtures

The result leaves Spain in first place in UEFA Nations League Group A3 with nine points from their opening three matches. England occupy second place with six points after defeating Croatia 7-0 away, a match where Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka each scored twice. That fixture in Croatia was attended by more than 6,000 invited children and 100 away fans under UEFA regulations. Croatia remain third in the table with three points, while Czechia sit in fourth place without a point. Spain travels to face Croatia on Tuesday for their fourth group fixture.

Nations League Group A3 standings after Matchday 3points
Spain9
England6
Croatia3
Czechia0
Spain
9 points
England
6 points
Croatia
3 points
Czechia
0 points

Data from the article text

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Sources and context

  • AP NEWSon 4 Oct at 01:15Spain star Lamine Yamal scores another early goal in the Nations League
  • Le Figaro.fron 4 Oct at 01:12Espagne-République tchèque : revivez la victoire d'une Roja à deux visages face à de courageux Tchèques
  • Notícias ao Minutoon 3 Oct at 23:47Fresneda e a estreia pela Espanha: "Aconteceu tudo muito rápido"
  • SAPOon 3 Oct at 23:42De la Fuente elogia Fresneda e ex-Braga após estreia: "Tiveram momentos brilhantes"
Lamine Yamal
Spain forward who opened the scoring against Czechia
Luis de la Fuente
Head coach of the Spain men's national football team
Ivan Fresneda
Sporting CP right-back who made his senior debut for Spain
Rodri
Spain captain and midfielder who scored in the 35th minute
Mikel Merino
Spain substitute midfielder who scored in the 89th minute
Jiri Slama
Czechia player who scored in the 69th minute
Ladislav Krejci
Czechia captain who received a red card in the 85th minute
Roberto Fernandez
Espanyol forward who made his senior debut for Spain
Pedro Porro
Spain and Tottenham right-back sidelined with an injury

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First version on 3 Oct at 05:05, last change on 4 Oct at 04:01.

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Text generated by AI from the reports of the publishers listed and checked automatically, with no human editor. How Pollar is made

In this text

Yamal strikes early in OviedoYamal strikes early in OviedoMatch flow and second-half responseMatch flow and second-half responseSquad rotation and international debutsSquad rotation and international debutsGroup A3 standings and upcoming fixturesGroup A3 standings and upcoming fixtures

Based on reports by

AP NEWS, Le Figaro.fr, Notícias ao Minuto, SAPO, EL PAÍS, europa press, JN

List of sources

Football · Oviedo

Spain beats Czechia 3-1 in Nations League as Lamine Yamal scores early

Lamine Yamal scored in the sixth minute before goals from Rodri and Mikel Merino secured a 3-1 victory for Spain over Czechia in Oviedo, keeping the European champions top of Nations League Group A3.

Oviedo

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AI text based on reports by AP NEWS, Le Figaro.fr, Notícias ao Minuto and other publishers. Changed on 4 Oct at 04:01.

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