New Delhi: Lamine Yamal struck twice as Spain earned a 4-1 win at home against Croatia on Matchday 2 of the UEFA Nations League, while England battled to a 2-0 success in Czechia.
Yamal opened the scoring inside two minutes, beating Dominik Livakovic after Fermín Lopez’s clever flick. Croatia levelled when Dion Beljo, making just his third senior appearance, headed in from Ivan Perisic’s cross for his first international goal.
Spain needed barely two minutes to respond, Marc Pubill nodding in from Yamal’s superb delivery. Yamal then added his second, meeting Pedri’s through ball and finishing at the near post. Nico Williams sealed victory in the 89th minute, twisting free inside the area before rifling home.
Elsewhere, Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane scored as England beat ten-man Czechia 2-0 to earn their first win since the FIFA World Cup and move second in UEFA Nations League A Group 3.
Gordon scored in his third successive England appearance, while Harry Kane struck in a second game on the spin in the second half, after Pavel Sulc’s early red card.
England were firmly in control after Pavel Sulc was dismissed for a foul on Elliot Anderson midway through the opening half, with Morgan Rogers hitting the post and Matěj Kovář denying Kane in style.
The visitors got the breakthrough barely a minute into the second period with Gordon nodding into the bottom corner from a delicious Trent Alexander-Arnold cross, and Thomas Tuchel’s side sealed the victory thanks to a piece of quick thinking from the visiting skipper to sweep home a loose ball.
In other actions, Sebastian Pocognoli’s first home game as Scotland boss ended in a 3-0 defeat to Switzerland. Ricardo Rodriguez converted a free-kick after Jack Hendry’s 11th-minute dismissal, with Nico Elvedi and Zeki Amdouni on target after the interval.
Slovenia are second behind the Swiss in Group B1 after winning at home against North Macedonia. Sandi Lovric’s angled finish on 55 minutes broke the deadlock, and substitute Aljosa Matko made it 2-0 with his first senior international goal.
Leo Sauer, 20, scored his first goal for Slovakia, but it was experienced David Hancko who hit their winner in a 2-1 against Kazakhstan, with Albania and Iceland (both 3-0 away, against San Marino and Luxembourg respectively) the other winners in League C.
(IANS)
