Spain qualify for Nations League quarters as England win

Spain have secured a place in the Nations League quarter-finals with two Group 3 matches still to play. England also ended the international break in strong form, completing another victory over the Czech Republic.

Croatia took the lead through Ivan Perisic in the 17th minute, but Spain recovered after the interval. Mikel Merino levelled in the 61st minute and struck again in the 90th to give Luis de la Fuente’s side a 2-1 win. Perisic was sent off for a second booking in the 80th minute, adding to Croatia’s difficulty in holding onto its advantage.

The result keeps Spain at the top of Group 3 and extends a perfect run of three wins during this international window. Their first meeting with Croatia ended 4-1, making the latest result another sign of Spain’s positive momentum since the World Cup. Croatia, meanwhile, followed its earlier 7-0 defeat by England with another loss.

England beat the Czech Republic 3-0, after previously overcoming the same opponent 2-0. Vladimir Coufal’s own goal opened the scoring in the 28th minute before Harry Kane added two more, including a header in the 58th. The forward’s first goal came just before half-time, and the result completed a convincing sequence for Thomas Tuchel’s team.