Forty-two matches unbeaten, eleven wins in a row and, for the first time, a victory on Croatian soil. Spain's world champions were made to suffer at Stadion Poljud, but Mikel Merino's two second-half goals turned a 1–0 deficit into a 2–1 win. The result seals their place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals with two games to spare.
For Croatia it is a third straight defeat, and by some distance the most painful. They led through Ivan Perišić, put more shots on target than the visitors and had 32,600 people behind them in Split. Then Perišić was sent off in the 79th minute, and Merino struck again two minutes from time.
Perišić punishes Spain on the break
The opener on 17 minutes came from exactly the kind of move Croatia had to live on. Mateo Kovačić carried the ball forward on a rapid counter and fed Igor Matanović inside the area. Unai Simón parried the low shot, and Perišić reacted first, heading the rebound into the bottom-left corner from close range.
It was his 40th goal for Croatia and his sixth in 19 international matches over the last 24 months. When a ball runs loose in the box, he is still the first one moving.
The night had been hot-tempered well before that. Slaven Bilić was booked by referee Erik Lambrechts in the 14th minute for animated protests on the touchline, and Marc Cucurella was jeered by the home stands throughout. The crowd had reason to be loud: Croatia's previous home game had been played in front of an empty terrace because of UEFA sanctions.
The numbers explain the shape of it. Spain had 72% of the ball, yet both sides finished with 10 shots, and it was Croatia who tested the goalkeeper more often, five efforts on target to Spain's three. Possession belonged to the visitors; for long stretches, the sharper moments belonged to the hosts, who went in 1–0 up at the break.
Merino and Olmo turn the tide for Spain
Spain's equaliser arrived on 61 minutes and began with a Croatian error. Josip Stanišić's headed clearance was intercepted, Dani Olmo collected the loose ball, slipped away from Kristijan Jakić and laid a pass into the box. Merino met it with a crisp, low left-footed finish into the far corner.
Ten minutes later Olmo was substituted, and Poljud did something few home crowds do while watching their side being pegged back: it gave him a standing ovation, in recognition of his past ties to Croatian football. It was a rare moment of warmth for the visitors on a hostile evening.
Perišić red card opens the door for Merino
The decisive swing came in the 79th minute. Perišić, already booked in the 22nd minute, fouled Cucurella and received a second yellow card, a decision confirmed after a VAR check. The man who had given Croatia the lead was now the reason they had to see out the final stretch a player short.
They lasted nine minutes. On 88, Martín Zubimendi chipped an incisive ball into the Croatian area, Merino controlled it with a sharp touch on the turn and smashed a rising left-footed strike past Dominik Livaković into the top corner.
The Spanish press hailed Merino's clinical efficiency as a super-sub, alongside Olmo's creative influence and a resilience that carried the side through a heated Poljud atmosphere. Merino now has 11 goals in 19 matches for Spain over the last 24 months, and he passed the credit to the group: "Mis goles son el resultado de esta familia." Luis de la Fuente insisted he never doubted the outcome: "Bio sam uvjeren da ćemo preokrenuti utakmicu."
Spain march on as Croatia search for points
The result keeps Spain top of Group A3 with a maximum 12 points and confirms their quarter-final berth with two rounds still to play. They have scored in each of their last 11 matches, 26 goals in total, and their unbeaten run across all competitions now stands at 42.
Croatia remain third on three points, with 14 goals conceded across the campaign, and Spain had also beaten them 4–1 in Seville. Yet the home press did not read this as another collapse. After the 7–0 humiliation against England, Croatian media praised the side's heart, aggression and tactical response, describing a team that showed its true identity before missed chances and Perišić's dismissal undid it.
Bilić's verdict was blunt: "Moraš zabiti svoje šanse, zaslužili smo barem bod." You have to take your chances, he said, and Croatia deserved at least a point. Luka Modrić, who won his 206th cap amid growing anticipation over the final chapter of a 20-year international career, appealed to the public instead: "Trebamo podršku i više pozitive."
For Bilić, in his first campaign since succeeding Zlatko Dalić, the question is no longer whether this group can trouble the world champions. For 79 minutes in Split, it did. The question is whether performances like this can start turning into points before a three-match losing run hardens into something worse.
Match Information
- Competition: UEFA Nations League, League A – Round 4
- Date & Time: Tuesday 6 October 2026, 20:45 CET
- Venue: Stadion Poljud, Split
- Referee: Erik Lambrechts
