The Croatian national team were defeated by Spain 4-1 in Seville in the second round of the elite group in the UEFA Nations League. The match began at 20:45, with the Spanish side taking the lead in the 2nd minute.
Spain scored first from the first attack. Baena and Cucurella exchanged a pass, with the ball reaching Yamal, who fired past Livaković from the right for a 1-0 lead. In the 4th minute, Cucurella found Baena, who shot, but Livaković saved. In the 8th minute, the ball was 80 per cent in the Spanish players' feet, and in the 13th minute, Croatia were struggling under the high pressure of Spain. In the 17th minute, Perišić crossed from the left, but the ball did not find any Croatian players.
In the 28th minute, Croatia scored from their first real chance. Perišić delivered a cross, and Beljo headed it in for 1-1. However, in the 31st minute, Spain responded: following a corner from the right, Yamal crossed the ball, and Pubill, jumping unopposed, scored with his head for 2-1. In the 36th minute, a goal for Spain was disallowed as Oyarzaba was found offside. In the 37th minute, Sučić committed a foul in the air over Simón and received a yellow card. In the 44th minute, tempers flared following a challenge between Perišić and Cubarsí. In the 45th minute, López entered the penalty area, shooting from the right and hitting the post, with one minute of added time to play. At 45+1, the first half ended.
In the 46th minute, the second half began, with Pongračić remaining on the bench, replaced by Vušković. In the 49th minute, Baena, a player for Atlético, received a yellow card for another push. In the 50th minute, Vušković sent a long ball forward, with Pašalić shooting, but the Spanish players blocked it to a corner. In the 54th minute, Pašalić received a yellow card for pulling back Cuéllar. In the 57th minute, Pedri and Merino were substituted in for Ruiz and López. In the 58th minute, another yellow card was shown to Croatia, this time to Mišić. In the 60th minute, Beljo and Kovačić were substituted for Budimir and Pašalić. In the 62nd minute, Baena, who had already received a yellow card, was involved in another pull, with referee Gozbu giving the call. In the 63rd minute, Yamal scored, entering behind the Croatian defence, with Pedri providing the assist, and Yamal, with a strong shot, broke through to the bottom right, defeating Livaković.
In the 68th minute, Williams and Muñoz entered the game in place of Baena. In the 72nd minute, Ivanović replaced Perišić. In the 73rd minute, the golden ball of Rodri entered the game, replacing Zubimendi. In the 77th minute, the best chance in the second half was for Croatia, via Ivanović, who shot from the left, but the ball went slightly past the post. In the 79th minute, Pedro struck from outside, but was met by Livaković. In the 81st minute, Modrić entered the game, replacing Sučić, and was greeted by the Spanish crowd. In the 85th minute, Croatia took the ball in the final minutes, but without a significant chance. In the 89th minute, Williams charged towards the penalty area, dribbling past Šutalo and scoring in the far corner of the goal, with 4-1 on the board. In the 90th minute, Modrić took a shot after a good pass, but there was no strength in the attempt. At 90+1, the match ended.
Spain played with the following lineup: Simón, Pubill, Cubarsí, Huijsen, Cuéllar, Zubimendi, Ruiz, López, Yamal, Oyarzabal, Baena. Croatia played with: Livaković, Smolčić, Šutalo, Pongračić, Gvardiol, Mišić, Kovačić, Marco Pašalić, P. Sučić, Perišić, Beljo.
Croatia, in the first round, were 2-1 against the Czech Republic, while Spain, with 3-2, defeated England away. The Croatian team's coach, Slaven Bilić, left four players out: Josip Stanišić, Lovro Majer, Igor Matanović, and Petar Muš. Stanišić was out due to a viral infection, while Muš, in MLS, scored 18 goals in 23 matches, with five assists. The leader of the list is Leo Messi with 21 goals.
Following this, Croatia has two matches remaining in this gathering. On Saturday, they will play against England at Ružica, and on Tuesday, they will conclude the match against Spain at Poljud.
