Spain beat Croatia 4-1 in Seville on September 29, with Lamine Yamal scoring twice and supplying the delivery for Marc Pubill's goal. Nico Williams added the fourth late on. The result gave Spain two wins from its first two matches in UEFA Nations League Group A3 and six points from a possible six.
The scoreline reflects Spain's attacking edge, but it was not a game in which Croatia simply disappeared. Dion Beljo equalised after Yamal's early opener, forcing the hosts to respond rather than coast. Spain answered almost immediately and turned the contest decisively in its favour.
How Spain built the 4-1 lead
Yamal struck inside two minutes after Fermín López's flick created the opening. The quick start put Croatia on the back foot, but the visitors found a reply through Beljo, who headed in Ivan Perišić's cross. UEFA noted that it was Beljo's first senior international goal, coming in only his third appearance.
The equaliser lasted barely two minutes. Yamal delivered the ball for Pubill to head home his first goal for Spain. That immediate response mattered: Croatia had briefly restored balance, yet Spain did not allow the match to settle into a prolonged chase for a winner.
Yamal then scored again, running onto Pedri's through ball and finishing at the near post. Williams completed the 4-1 score in the 89th minute after creating room for himself inside the penalty area. The four Spanish goals came from three scorers, with Yamal directly involved in three of them.
UEFA's Matchday 2 report provides the official sequence of goals and the result.
Why Yamal's performance stood out
Two goals and an assist in a 4-1 international win are striking numbers by themselves. The manner of the contributions showed different parts of Yamal's game: an early finish, a delivery for Pubill's header, then a run to meet Pedri's pass. Spain's other attacking players also mattered. López made the opening goal possible, while Williams made sure the late pressure produced another goal.
It would be too simple to assign the entire victory to one player. Croatia's equaliser showed the risk Spain faced when it conceded a chance, and the immediate response came from an effective combination rather than an isolated moment. Yamal was the central figure in the result, while the team around him supplied the movement and finishing to make it count.
What the result means for Group A3
Spain began the Nations League campaign with a win over England and followed it with this home victory. Six points after two matches put it in a strong early position, although the league phase runs through six games for League A teams. A fast start is valuable; it does not decide the final group standings in September.
Croatia, meanwhile, still has games to play and an opportunity to recover. England also collected its first Group A3 win on the same matchday, beating Czechia 2-0. That combination makes the subsequent fixtures significant for all four teams. A full table and future fixtures are available through UEFA's Nations League competition page.
Spain's takeaway is clear: its attack responded well to an equaliser and produced four goals against a serious group opponent. The more useful question from here is whether it can carry that efficiency through the remaining matches as opponents adjust to its wide threats.
Quick answers
Who scored in Spain vs Croatia? Lamine Yamal scored twice, Marc Pubill and Nico Williams scored once each for Spain, and Dion Beljo scored for Croatia.
Was this a knockout match? No. It was a League A Group A3 match in the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League league phase.
