Lamine Yamal lit up Seville with another fast start, another decisive pass and a finish of his own as Spain swept past Croatia 4-1 in the Nations League. The Barcelona teenager needed only 70 seconds to score, then helped turn the match again after Croatia’s equaliser before sealing the result himself.
The move
Spain had beaten England 3-2 at Wembley on Saturday, with Yamal scoring inside two minutes, and he repeated the trick against Croatia. His opener came from the kick-off sequence, completed before the visitors had even touched the ball.
Croatia did not collapse after that early blow. Ivan Perisic delivered the cross for Dion Beljo to level with a header in the 28th minute, briefly putting pressure on the world champions.
Yamal’s response was immediate. Three minutes later, he supplied the ball for Marc Pubill to head Spain back in front. The winger then ended any remaining uncertainty in the second half, beating Barcelona team-mate Dominik Livakovic with a strike from a tight angle in the 63rd minute.
Nico Williams added Spain’s fourth goal in the 89th minute. The result gives Spain two wins from their opening two Nations League fixtures, with Yamal at the centre of both their momentum and their finishing.
