Lamine Yamal lights up Spain's World Cup homecoming in 4-1 win over Croatia
Spain marked their first home game as world champions with a 4-1 win over Croatia in the Nations League in Seville.
Lamine Yamal ran the night. He scored twice and set up another as Spain stretched their unbeaten run to 40 matches, The Guardian reported.
The party started before kick-off. Captain Rodri held up the World Cup trophy at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán after receiving it from former Spain winger Jesus Navas.
Then Yamal gave the crowd a goal to match the mood. He opened the scoring after just 75 seconds.
Croatia hit back. Dion Beljo equalised with a header from an Ivan Perisic cross to make it 1-1.
Spain responded quickly. Marc Pubill restored the lead with a header from a Yamal cross.
That is Yamal at his best. He takes the ball wide, draws defenders in, then delivers with pace.
He did the finishing himself after the break. On 63 minutes he cut inside and beat Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic at his near post for 3-1.
Nico Williams added the fourth with fewer than two minutes to play. Pubill had also scored in the win, completing a night where Spain's young wide players decided everything.
The two goals took Yamal to nine international goals in 36 appearances. Still only a teenager for much of his Spain career, he now looks central to what comes next.
What makes this stand out is the timing. Ballon d'Or voting closed on Monday, with the winner due to be announced on 26 October. A performance like this will not have hurt his case.
Spain next play Czech Republic on Saturday in Group A3. The Nations League, UEFA's competition for national teams played between major tournaments, has become their next stage to defend that champion status.
Elsewhere, Slovenia beat North Macedonia 2-0 at home, with goals from Sandi Lovric and Aljosa Matko. Slovakia edged Kazakhstan 2-1.
Iceland beat Luxembourg 3-0. Estonia drew 1-1 in Bulgaria, Moldova drew 1-1 at home to the Faroe Islands in League C, and Finland and Belarus finished 0-0 in Helsinki.
For fans, this means something simple. Ninety minutes, a full stadium, and a team still playing with joy after winning it all.
