In Zagreb, Spain turned a troubled first half into another night shaped by Mikel Merino. The Arsenal player struck twice after the interval, including a decisive 89th-minute finish, as Luis de la Fuente’s side came from behind to beat Croatia 2-1 and secure a place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals.
Croatia, coached by Slaven Bilić, had made Spain pay for a disjointed opening period when Ivan Perišić scored in the 17th minute. The home side had opportunities to extend their advantage before the break, with Spain’s defensive errors and lack of control offering encouragement in a stadium that sensed a major result.
Spain recovered after the restart and Merino brought them level in the 61st minute. The match then swung further in the visitors’ favour when Perišić was sent off after collecting a second yellow card, leaving Croatia to defend the closing stages with 10 men.
Merino delivered the final blow 10 minutes after the dismissal. Receiving the ball in the area, he controlled it in the air with his left foot, pulled it into a shooting position and drove a powerful left-footed effort beyond the goalkeeper. It was his 15th goal for Spain and his third in this Nations League campaign.
A familiar rescuer for Spain
The two-goal display was Merino’s third multi-goal match for the national team. Last year he scored a hat-trick in a 6-0 European World Cup qualifying win over Turkey, before adding another double in Spain’s 4-0 victory against Bulgaria.
His importance, however, has often extended beyond the numbers. During Spain’s successful Euro 2024 campaign, Merino scored the extra-time winner against Germany in the quarter-finals, settling a 2-1 match before penalties were required.
He again made a late intervention in the 2025 Nations League quarter-final first leg against the Netherlands, coming on and scoring the 2-2 equaliser in stoppage time after only seven minutes on the pitch. This year he has also supplied winning goals against Portugal, in a 1-0 round-of-16 victory, and Belgium, in a 2-1 quarter-final win. He had been on the field for six minutes against Portugal and just two against Belgium.
Spain perfect, Croatia facing a steep route
The result leaves Spain with 12 points from four matches in League A Group C and confirms their progress to the quarter-finals. Their remaining task is to seal first place when they meet Czechia on 12 November and England on 15 November. Both fixtures are scheduled for 13:45 Central Mexico time.
Croatia remain third on three points, six behind England. Their route to the last eight is now extremely narrow: they must win heavily in their final two group games to retain realistic qualification hopes. Croatia play England on Thursday 12 November before facing Czechia on Sunday 15 November, with both matches also set for 13:45 Central Mexico time.
