Spain rally past 10-man Croatia as substitute Merino strikes twice

The victory maintained La Roja’s perfect record in Group A3 and delivered their first away win against Croatia at the third attempt, although the hosts produced a spirited response to Saturday’s humiliating 7-0 defeat by England.

Match highlight

Slaven Bilic’s side began with renewed determination and deservedly took the lead in the 17th minute.

Mateo Kovacic released Igor Matanovic, whose initial effort was saved by Unai Simon. Ivan Perisic reacted to the rebound, heading home to reward Croatia’s positive start.

Spain, who conceded only once during their World Cup triumph in North America, continued to show defensive vulnerabilities in this Nations League campaign.

Simon almost gifted Croatia a second goal when Nikola Vlasic intercepted his pass and supplied Matanovic, but the goalkeeper recovered with an excellent save.

The visitors struggled to match Croatia’s intensity for much of the first half, although Mikel Oyarzabal and Lamine Yamal both had opportunities to equalise shortly before the interval.

Those chances signalled a shift in momentum. Dani Olmo went close with a header from Yamal’s delivery after the restart before Spain finally drew level in the 61st minute

Merino, introduced in the second half, provided the breakthrough. After Josip Stanisic’s attempted headed clearance was cut out, Olmo supplied the Arsenal midfielder for a precise left-footed finish.

Spain immediately pursued a second goal, with Yamal’s deflected effort travelling narrowly wide.

However, another mistake offered Croatia a chance to regain the lead. Perisic seized on Martin Zubimendi’s misplaced pass, only for Simon to keep out his opportunistic attempt.

The 37-year-old’s evening ended soon afterwards when he received a second yellow card for a foul on Marc Cucurella, leaving Croatia to withstand the closing stages with 10 men.

The hosts appeared close to earning a valuable point, but Merino struck again late on.

Zubimendi found his Arsenal teammate, who controlled the ball and unleashed an unstoppable left-footed shot beyond Dominik Livakovic to complete Spain’s comeback.

Luis de la Fuente’s team now have four victories from four matches and a confirmed place in the knockout stage.

Croatia were left with another painful defeat, but their competitive display offered far more encouragement than the collapse against England. Spain ultimately prevailed through the finishing quality of a substitute whose two goals transformed the contest.