Mikel Merino's Brace Leads Spain to Victory Over Croatia
Spain came from behind to defeat Croatia 2-1 in Split, securing their place in the 2026/27 UEFA Nations League quarter-finals. Croatia initially took the lead with a goal from Ivan Perišić in the 17th minute.
However, Spain responded strongly in the second half, with Mikel Merino equalizing in the 61st minute. Merino then scored the winning goal in the 88th minute, assisted by Martín Zubimendi, who lifted the ball into the box for Merino to control and shoot past Croatia's goalkeeper, Dominik Livaković.
Croatia was reduced to 10 men in the 79th minute when Perišić received a second yellow card for a foul on Marc Cucurella, confirmed by a VAR review. Despite Croatia's pressure and opportunities, Spain's strong second-half performance allowed them to maintain their perfect start in the tournament, having won all their opening three Group A3 matches.
Plus234Feed summary based on reporting from Punch Newspapers. Read the original report below.
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