Mikel Merino came off the bench to score a match-winning brace as Spain completed an incredible comeback from a goal down against Croatia to preserve their 41-game unbeaten streak and seal a quarter-final spot in their UEFA Nations League fixture away in Split.
World Champions Spain had fallen behind to an early goal by Ivan Perisic and found themselves down at the break before head coach Luis De La Fuente introduced Merino into the fray at the break. Merino has built a reliable reputation as Spain’s deadliest weapon off the bench, and he solidified his reputation as one of the best in the business once again.
He drew the Euro 2024 champions level just past the hour mark before smashing the winner in the 88th minute to keep their world record two and a half year unbeaten run intact. It was a hard-fought 11th consecutive victory for Spain.
Croatia’s Excellent Display
Croatia, who were thrashed by England in their previous game and were still reeling from the defeat, put in a much improved performance and went head-to-head with the world champions. Josip Stanišić was presented with the first big chance of the game following a free-flowing team move in the 13th minute, but his header was kept out by Unai Simón.
Croatia’s bright start was soon rewarded with a goal as Mateo Kovacic drove through the heart of Spain’s midfield before releasing a pass to Igor Matanović, who rifled it goalwards but was kept out brilliantly by Simón. Ivan Perišić was lurking dangerously at the far post and moved in instantly to nod the rebound into the net to give the hosts the lead. A dream start!
The 37-year-old Perišić is still getting the goods for Croatia, scoring his 40th goal for his national side in his 162nd appearance. He is second on Croatia’s all-time appearance list, behind teammate Luka Modric, who has 206 caps. Matanović came close to doubling the hosts’ lead shortly after, but Simon was up to the task once again with another exceptional save.
Spain dominated possession but struggled to break down an inspired Croatian side and couldn’t create clear-cut goalscoring chances in the opening half. Croatia’s spirited display was acknowledged with a standing ovation from the home fans at the break. This was the first time Spain found themselves behind in a game since June 2024. De la Fuente reacted to it by subbing Álex Baena off for Mikel Merino.
Spain’s Aggressive Performance
Spain upped the intensity after the restart and drew level in the 61st minute. Dani Olmo picked up a poor clearance from Stanišić on the edge of the penalty area and sent the ball spiralling to an unmarked Merino, who angled his shot perfectly into the bottom corner. His 14th goal for Spain and yet another clutch moment.
The game was wide open, and Spain piled on the pressure against a visibly tired Croatian side. Lamine Yamal thought he was bound to give Spain the lead with a curling effort in the 76th minute, but his goalbound shot was blocked on the way in. Perisic pounced on a misplaced pass from Martín Zubimendi a minute later and smashed the ball at goal, but Simon was up to the task with a stunning save.
Perisic went from hero to zero as he received his marching orders in the 79th minute and was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Spain defender Marc Cucurella. Spain were relentless and their numerical superiority paid off as Arsenal teammate Martin Zubimendi teased a lofted pass to Merin. He controlled it expertly, turned swiftly and hammered an unstoppable volley into the net past Dominik Livakovic. Two goals, three points in the bag.
Perisic’s red card proved to be too costly as Spain held on for a crucial win. Croatia deserves credit for their relentless, superb performance, but Spain ultimately reinforced their credentials as world champions with a barrage of attacks and left the hosts overwhelmed.
Post-match reactions
Luis de la Fuente, Spain coach, expressed surprise at his team’s resilience in a statement to Teledeporte.
“They’re fantastic footballers, and they never stop fighting. They surprise even me sometimes — I’ll be the first to admit that. In an atmosphere like the one you’ve just seen, we managed to rise above it. And in the second half we showed we were the better side. It’s a win of enormous merit.”
“This is exactly the kind of game we expected. Croatia are a great side with a lot of prestige. We had to stick with them and wear them down. In the second half we controlled things, although they still created a couple of dangerous moments on the counter, which is normal. But I was convinced we were going to turn the match around.”
Luis de la Fuente also lavished praise on Mikel Merino’s exceptional skills, saying:
“Mikel Merino is one of the best in the world in his position. He’s got the quality to play for any team, and of course he can play in any game. He understands these moments in a match so well. He’s got that gift for goals, and important ones too. We really appreciate the attitude he always brings.”
Man of the match and Spain’s hero Mikel Merino relished the victory and his two-goal performance, saying:
“Scoring important goals means a lot to me. It’s a big reward for a lot of work. Sometimes those moments where you work hard don’t come with a reward, and for me now it’s coming in the form of goals. I’m really happy not only for the goals, but also for the help that I’m bringing to the team.”
Slaven Bilić, Croatia coach, lauded his team’s strong response to their defeat against England and their incredible fighting spirit.
“I don’t like it when we celebrate a defeat, but especially after what happened a few days ago, we played a really good game. Against the world champions, you have to suffer. In the first half, we were almost perfect and should have been two up at half-time, but their goalkeeper kept them in the game.”
Spain joined Iberian derby rivals Portugal as the only teams to win all four of their Nations League games this international break, and both teams, who were finalists in the last Nations League tournament, have qualified for the quarterfinals next year. Spain lead Group A3 by three points, ahead of England, who clinched a dominant three-nil victory over the Czech Republic. Spain return to Nations League action on 12 November to face Czechia while Croatia travel to square off against England.
