**_SPLIT_**: World champions Spain recovered to beat Croatia 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League, with Mikel Merino scoring twice to extend their unbeaten run to 42 matches and seal a place in the quarter-finals on the final night of the fourth round of group-stage action.
Spain top the group with 12 points, while England, who all but clinched a quarter-final spot, have nine, and Croatia are on three. The Czechs are still without a point.
Three days after Croatia were trounced 7-0 by visitors England, they threatened a major upset against Spain in Split when Ivan Perisic sent a well-placed header into the bottom-left corner in the 17th minute to give them the lead.
But substitute Merino equalised in the 61st to help preserve his nation’s undefeated streak stretching back to March 2024 when he found space in the middle of the box before firing a left-footed shot into the bottom corner.
Croatia were reduced to 10 men when Perisic was sent off for a second yellow card in the 79th minute and Merino completed Spain’s comeback 10 minutes later with another left-footed finish into the corner of the net.
“I would spend the entire press conference thanking my players,” said Spain boss Luis de la Fuente, who started five Barcelona players.
“We knew that the match was going to get like this, but we’ve managed to understand it very well. We haven’t dropped our arms.”
Elsewhere, Slovenia beat Scotland 2-1 with Aljosa Matko and Danijel Sturm scoring in the second half to cancel out Ryan Christie’s 31st minute opener in League B1.
Switzerland’s Fabian Rieder, Johan Manzambi and Dan Ndoye scored in a 3-0 win over North Macedonia in the other game in that group. The Swiss have 12 points ahead of Slovenia on seven, Scotland with four and North Macedonia on none.
The final two rounds of the group stage will be played in the November international break.
The eight teams finishing in the top two of the four League A groups will play in the knockout rounds beginning in March.
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