Spain wins the Nations League on penalty kicks against Croatia
Dani Carvajal converted a Panenka penalty to win Spain the Nations League on Sunday, with a 5-4 shootout victory over Croatia, after extra time ended scoreless.
Unai Simon denied Lovro Mayer and Bruno Petkovic from the penalty spot before Dani Carvajal scored a cheeky chip to gain La Roja their first trophy since Euro 2012 and break the hearts of the Croatians.
Zlatko Dalic’s side, runners-up at the 2018 World Cup and third in 2022, have never won a significant trophy and hoped that Luka Modric’s international career would be capped by Nations League success.
The victory gives new Spain coach Luis de la Fuente a confidence lift following harsh criticism in March following a Euro 2024 qualifying loss to Scotland. It also avenged their final loss to France in 2021.
Real Madrid defender Carvajal told Spanish broadcaster TVE, “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us. We were eliminated early from the World Cup in Qatar, so today we had to seize the moment.”
“We were confident with the penalties, and they went well; I knew how I was going to shot it, and I knew I would be sixth… I wished to execute a Panenka and it worked.”
Over 25,000 Croatian fans were anticipated to travel to Rotterdam, and they filled the majority of the stadium, De Kuip, leaving only a small section for Spanish supporters.
As rumored, the Croatians chanted Modric’s name in the tenth minute as a plea for him not to abdicate from international duty at the conclusion of the tournament.
On the field, Spain made the early going, with Gavi narrowly missing the goal after pressing aggressively to regain possession of the ball.
Under the pink haze of smoke from Croatian pyrotechnics, Spain were nearly caught off guard by Josip Juranovic’s long pass for Andrej Kramaric just as the game was beginning to lull.
Aymeric Laporte made an excellent diving deflection as the striker was about to shoot on goalkeeper Unai Simon.
Despite 14 goals in the previous three games, the first half was scoreless, as it was in the prior two Nations League finals, won by Portugal in 2019 and France in 2021.
Tense and taut
Ivan Perisic, playing at left-back for Spurs, and Jordi Alba, captain of Spain, were persistent threats for Dalic’s team, which emerged victorious.
The former Barcelona defender crossed a hazardous ball to Asensio, who headed it into the top of the net. In the first 80 minutes, La Roja failed to record a single shot on goal.
Mario Pasalic headed wide at the other end before being replaced by Petkovic, who was Croatia’s semi-final standout against the Netherlands to the extent that a Croatian newspaper compared him to Bruce Willis in football boots. This time, it did not prove the case.
In response, Spain substituted their own semi-final match-winner, Joselu, for Morata, while Ansu Fati also entered the fray.
The young Barcelona forward came closest to netting for either team during the entire 90 minutes, with Perisic clearing his low shot off the line.
After Nacho collided with Borna Sosa, Croatia unsuccessfully appealed for a penalty, and Spain substitute Dani Olmo, who spent six years with Dinamo Zagreb, blasted over as extra time continued its close pattern.
With the teams tied, the match was decided by penalty kicks.
After Simon denied Mayer’s shot, Aymeric Laporte had the opportunity to win but missed the bar.
Athletic Bilbao preventive Simon made a diving save to his right to deny Petkovic, paving the way for Carvajal to ignite Spanish celebrations.
Rodri, Manchester City’s Champions League final goalscorer and man of the match, exclaimed, “We’re so happy, it was a really tough game and this is so difficult to do.”
“This generation holds great promise. We were mentally formidable. There are areas for improvement, but victory is always a cause for celebration.
Spain wins the Nations League on penalty kicks against Croatia
