Yamal lights up Seville as Spain stretch record run with 4-1 rout of Croatia

SEVILLE — Spain's homecoming party turned into a personal showcase for Lamine Yamal on Tuesday night, with the 19-year-old scoring twice and delivering the cross that produced another goal as La Roja thumped Croatia 4-1 in the UEFA Nations League.

The victory, played in front of a crowd still celebrating Spain's World Cup triumph in July, carried two significant markers: it was the first international game in Seville since the trophy was lifted, and it took Spain's unbeaten run in European competition to an even 40 matches. It also kept their campaign in Group A3 on perfect terms, with every match so far won.

The scoreline, though, was closer than the winners' mood. Croatia, who had travelled to Andalusia with confidence after reaching the Nations League final three years ago, twice looked capable of unsettling their hosts and finished the evening with a consolation goal of their own.

The goal came as early as the second minute, and it immediately echoed what Yamal had done against England at Wembley four days earlier. Alex Baena released the ball into the penalty area, Fermin Lopez cleverly dummyed it to leave the winger unmarked, and Yamal swept a first-time, low shot into the far corner. Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic had barely time to settle — and the noise from the stands suggested Spain's home crowd had waited a long time for this.

The goal apart, Spain's early dominance was total. Baena, who had already helped create the opener, soon had an effort of his own turned away by Livakovic as Spain threatened to bury the visitors before they could get their bearings. The Croatian defence spent long spells pinned inside its own third, and Spain's passing rhythm — quick, sharp and confident — made clear that this was a side accustomed to being the favourites rather than the pretenders.

Croatia, to their credit, refused to fold. Dion Beljo rose to head them level in the 28th minute, a response that kept the home lead at a single goal and pushed the visitors back into the contest. There was something fitting about the scene: this was a rematch of the 2023 Nations League final, a game Spain ultimately won only on penalties after a stalemate that neither side could break.

Spain needed less than three minutes to answer. Yamal, again the provider, whipped a cross from the right into the six-yard box, and Marc Pubill attacked it with a powerful header that Livakovic could do nothing about. The goal restored the sense of inevitability that Croatia's equaliser had briefly interrupted, and it arrived in exactly the fashion that has defined Spain's attack all season — a wide player isolating a defender before the ball is fed into a dangerous central zone.

The third goal arrived in the 63rd minute and belonged to Yamal once more. He collected a pass from Pedri inside the box, adjusted his body in a tight angle and drilled the ball into the net with the composure of a veteran striker. By then, Croatia's resistance had been reduced to chasing a football game rather than shaping one.

Spain made certain of the outcome in the 89th minute, when substitute Nico Williams added a fourth to cap a night that had produced a result as emphatic as the scoreline suggests. The festive atmosphere on the pitch before kickoff — with Rodri parading the World Cup trophy as the champions made their first home appearance since winning it in July — was matched only by the quality of the performance that followed.

The wider significance of the result lies in the record. An unbeaten European run now stretching to 40 matches is a benchmark no side has reached, and it was extended in front of their own supporters, against a team Spain have historically found awkward. Add to that a 3-2 win over England at Wembley at the weekend and the picture is one of a champion team that is not simply defending its crown but building momentum at the same time.

Croatia's coach, however, will have drawn little comfort from the occasion. The visitors were beaten in the space of a few moments each time they threatened to establish themselves, and a four-goal deficit at the final whistle underlined the gulf between the two sides. In Slaven Bilic's charge, Croatia remain competitive but need to convert moments like Beljo's header into sustained pressure over the 90 minutes.

Elsewhere in the group, England provided the other result of the evening, beating a 10-man Czech Republic 2-0 in Prague to leapfrog Bilic's side into second place. The Czechs' numerical disadvantage told in the scoreline, and the result means England move level on points with Croatia, one place behind Spain, setting up a group race that will be decided by the margins in exactly the kind of matches Spain have so far won convincingly.

What the evening confirmed, more than any individual flourish, is that Spain's strength is collective but their ceiling is individual. The midfield supplied the control, the full-back provided the width and the crossing, and Yamal supplied the goals. As Nations League business continues, the champions of Europe and the world now have both the record run and a 40-match habit of winning to protect — and a teenager who refuses to let that run end quietly.

Spain lead Group A3 with a perfect record, and few sides will be looking forward to the next meeting with them.