09/29/26 05:09:00
Printable Page
09/29 17:07 CDT Nations League: Yamal helps Spain extend unbeaten streak,
Gordon and Kane lead England
Nations League: Yamal helps Spain extend unbeaten streak, Gordon and Kane lead
England
By TALES AZZONI
AP Sports Writer
Lamine Yamal led World Cup winner Spain on Tuesday as it defeated Croatia in
the Nations League to add to its record unbeaten streak, while England
rebounded from its opening loss to the world champions with a victory over
10-man Czechia.
Yamal scored twice and set up another goal as Spain beat Croatia 4-1 at home to
reach 40 games unbeaten.
England needed second-half goals by Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane to defeat the
Czechs 2-0, with the hosts playing a man down from the 25th after Pavel Sulc
was shown a red card.
Spain win again behind red-hot Yamal
Spain got past Croatia in its second game since beating Argentina in the World
Cup final, with Yamal scoring two minutes into the match and again in the 63rd.
Marc Pubill also scored, finding the net in the 31st for his first goal with
Spain, two minutes after Dion Drena Beljo had equalized for the visitors, also
with his first international goal. Substitute Nico Williams sealed the Spain
victory in the 89th.
Yamal, who also found the net against England, gave the assist for Pubill's
goal. He has scored 11 goals in his last eight matches for country and club
Barcelona.
"He is a very generous footballer who puts all that talent at the service of
the team," Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said. "We are fortunate to have him
with us. He is someone who is truly loved within the squad. We are very happy
with him."
La Roja had extended its unbeaten streak to 39 games by rallying to a 3-2 win
over England at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
Spain has lost only one of its last 16 Nations League group matches, winning
seven straight.
"We know Spain are the best. There is no debate about that," Croatia coach
Slaven Bilic said. "We knew that before kickoff. They have been the best side
for several years. Against England, we did not see them play quite like this,
but tonight there was simply too much space."
Spain leads Group A3 with six points, three more than both England and Croatia.
Croatia won 2-1 at Czechia, formerly known as the Czech Republic, on Saturday,
with veteran midfielder Luka Modric scoring his nation's opening goal. Modric
started on the bench against Spain on Tuesday, entering the match in the 81st.
Spain will still host Czechia on Saturday and visit Croatia next Tuesday.
England back to winning
England played with an extra man for most of the match and needed goals by
Gordon in the 47th and Kane in the 69th to win its first match in the Nations
League this season.
Sulc was sent off for a foul in the first half, with video review changing a
yellow card into a red.
"We played very professionally in the second half," England coach Thomas Tuchel
said. "We stepped up, we needed to be a bit more dynamic and bring a bit more
urgency into our play, which we did, but we kept the intensity going, and the
effort was still there. We deserved victory. We got an important win, and
that's what counts."
In the lower-tiered League B, Switzerland won 3-0 at Scotland, which played a
man down from the 11th after a red card to Jack Hendry. It was Sebastian
Pocognoli's first home game as Scotland's coach.
Slovenia beat visiting North Macedonia 2-0.
In League C, host Moldova and Faroe Islands drew 1-1, while Finland and Belarus
played to a scoreless draw in Helsinki.
___
See AP's full soccer coverage here
|