Croatia vs Spain, summary: Carvajal, penalties, score, goals & highlights | Nations League final
Croatia vs Spain: as it happened
Full time report:
Spain won the Nations League in dramatic fashion after a penalty shootout was needed to separate them from an uber-resilient Croatia.
Dani Carvajal scored the winning penalty after a tough 0-0 draw that saw huge chances go begging for both teams, with the tactical battles across the pitch ending in even contests for 120 minutes.
Croatia showed their fantastic capacity to adapt and survive through various phases of play as Spain attacked them in different ways on the wings and through the centre, but nothing was enough from La Roja to get through the defence.
Spain's back line was opened up on many occasions with Croatia's deadly strength in depth keeping the physical battle going all game.
But as the clock ticked on, Luis de la Fuente's men stayed strong and were rewarded with the title after a strong penalty shootout show from the team, ending an 11-year trophy drought.
Lars Baron / Getty Images
Signing off...
Thank you for joining AS USA for the live coverage of today's game, which saw Spain emerge victorious over a Croatia side that, once again, came so close to glory.
Make sure to head over to en.as.com for the latest sports news and updates across the summer months!
Joe
Spain know the trick to beat Croatia
Nobody else seems to be able to do it (except Messi magic in the World Cup, sorry Josko Gvardiol), but Spain have beaten Croatia after extra-time which is no easy task.
Yves Herman / Reuters
Unai deserves some recognition!
What a penalty shootout performance from the Basque goalkeeper, who saved two crucial kicks from Croatia, allowing Carvajal to step up and score the winner.
Trophy number 5 for Spain
Spain showed a lot of spirit to beat such a tough beast in the final.
Post-match comments:
It was a super complicated game against one of the best teams in the world. It's hard to win, but this generation is great and we fought until the end.
I would give ourselves a 10/10 for the faith we showed, winning is the first step.
Spain win the Nations League
What a fantastic game of football that was. If I'm tired, I have no idea how the players feel!
Carvajal's panenka wins it for Spain!!!!
Dani Carvajal...
UNAI SIMÓN SAVES THE PENALTY!!!!!
Petkovic...
Croatia are still alive!
4-4
LAPORTE MISSES!!!!!!
OFF THE BAR!!!!
Laporte has the chance to win it...
Perisic has to score for Croatia...
Asensio is next...
3-3
UNAI SIMÓN SAVES!!!
Majer is next...
Mikel Merino next in line.
Magic Modric is here...
Rodri next for Spain...
Brozovic is next for Croatia.
Joselu up next...
Vlasic is the first to take...
Everyone's back in their groups now, sorting out lists and things like that.
Before that, we've got a bit of handbags as Jordi Alba is caught up in the middle of a fight in the centre circle.
Penalties here we come!
Nothing separates the sides after 120 minutes.
Unai Simón catches the cross with 10 seconds of normal time to go.
Croatia win another corner and now it's Spain who are pinned into their own box.
Kovacic's shot is blocked wide after a nice takedown from Vlasic.
90 seconds until penalties...
Spain win a corner after nice work from Marco Asensio, who has come to life in extra-time.
Ansu's corner dips ferociously and flies across the face of goal as everyone watches on.
RODRI'S SHOT IS CLEARED OVER THE BAR!
This game has turned crazy, with energy levels at zero and mistakes popping up all across the pitch. Neither team has any structure and anarchy is winning. Seven minutes to go.
Stanisic ON
Juranovic OFF
Unai Simón saves the shot from Vlasic but there was an offside in the buildup from Croatia, who had done well to keep the ball and force Spain to chase.
The ball was whipped in and fell to Olmo whose shot was blocked just wide of the far post.
OLMO SHOT BLOCKED WIDE!
Asensio's control from Alba's cross is just too heavy and the ball rolls away from his boot and out of play. Another good chance for Spain, who. have started strongly.
Ansu slips and slides past one, two, three challenges and plays a cross in with his left foot that is caught by a grateful Croatia goalkeeper.
The final fifteen...
A brief chat for both teams, a quick gulp of water... and we're off again!
Half-time of extra time!
And that's all for now!
Unai Simón saves the shot from Brozovic; another fast break from Croatia send Spain flying back...
Merino goes down in the box... but the referee says no!
2 added minutes.
A long ball fell to Asensio who drove inside and let loose a shot that was blocked.
The rebound landed at the feet of Olmo, who hit a shot over the bar from the edge of the box.
OLMO FIRES OVER!
Carvajal is momentarily playing at centre-back with an injured Nacho on the right. Spain have no more changes.
We've had a couple minutes rest as Nacho and Majer both receive treatment.
Croatia broke like lightning, right as I was typing how well Spain had been keeping the ball.
In a flash, Majer broke through the defence after getting on the end of a Kovacic through ball and Nacho slid in at the last second to save a certain goal!
NACHO SAVES SPAIN!
The referee seems to have found his cards in his pocket and booksRodri for grabbing Majer's shirt.
Dani Carvajal ON
Navas (injured) OFF
Nachobooked for a foul on Petkovic.
Spain choose not to swing in a corner, instead playing it short and eventually allowing Croatia to push them back into their own half.
The nerves are on show from both teams who are frantically trying to press and squeeze the lives out of each other.
Croatia get into Spain's box instantly with a great cross from the right; Spain clear and kill the momentum with a free-kick won by Joselu.
Here we go!
Croatia get us going. 30 more minutes coming up!
Iron man Modric
Someone's going to have to check and see if he wears Tony Stark's suit under his skin...
How things stand after 90 minutes...
It's lazy to copy and paste my half-time report, but the second period was incredibly similar, with both sides enjoying periods of domination and control over the other team, only for things to swing wildly the other way in the blink of an eye.
Spain, it must be said, did finally begin the create dangerous chances, but Croatia are simply unable to be killed, and have shown that fantastic resilience that continues to surprise and astound.
Extra-time!
And that's 95 minutes done! Extra-time, here we come!
Joselu heads away!
Modric to swing it in...
It's a corner! The linesman gives a corner...
Ansu's tackle gives Spain a goal kick in the dying seconds and the crowd definitely don't agree.
Majer ON
Kramaric OFF
We're back underway and Laporte is OK.
Petkovic is booked for the high arm to Laporte's face as the two went for a header.
Play is stopped as Laporte is down holding his face.
4 added minutes.
The ex-Madrid winger broke down the right and played a shot/cross across goal that the nearly-Real Madrid man Joselu could not reach!
ASENSIO FIRES WIDE!!!
Croatia waste a great counter attack opportunity after Brozovic plays a ball that is way too powerful for Vlasic to get onto.
We are into the last minute of normal time...
Olmo gets his first touches on the ball, skipping past Kovacic before popping the ball through the legs of Petkovic. Delightful.
Dani Olmo ON
Gavi OFF
When he's had the chance to, Ansu has looked lively.
Unfortunately, he's not quite the pre-injury Ansu, but he definitely looks like he has the capacity to cause danger.
The ball was slipped in down the left to Merino, who played it square to Ansu who was just a few yards out, but Perisic was on the line to block the effort!
Perisic with the block from less than 6 yards out!
THAT WAS THE MOMENT
WHAT A MISS FROM ANSU FATI!!!!
This is a Luka Modric appreciation message.
The Madrid midfielder has run Croatia's game from minute one, as he always does. Spain, apart from Gavi's ludicrous foul - haven't laid a glove on the player who has once again been the best player on the pitch.
The first yellow of the game goes to... Gavi!
The card is for man-handling Luka Modric, who had sent his beetle legs into overdrive as he burst away from the chasing pack.
Ten minutes to go...
Vlasic ON
Ivanusec OFF
Merino and Nacho ON
Le Normand and Fabián OFF
Spain are enjoying a positive spell now: Ansu sidesteps past a defender on the edge of the box and hits a low shot that is blocked. The rebound falls to Fabián, who also sees his effort hit a defender.
Ansu burst down the left and Livakovic came racing out to clear the ball that fell to Fabián. The ex-Betis man chipped an outrageous effort from distance that landed just over the top of the goal!
FABIÁN OVER THE BAR!!!!
The Croatia fans rest their collective voice and instead begin to clap wildly, creating a noise that sounds like I am actually being crushed inside a bag of crisps.
Navas clears Juranovic's cross but the team in navy blue continue to push...
Croatia are changing things up every time they attack, going both inside and outside in their attempts to threaten Unai in the Spain goal.
Spain need to find someone to put their boot on the ball and remind Croatia they can't have things all their own way. La Roja are chasing shadows right now and Croatia look more and more in control as the clock ticks on.
Croatia are chameleonic and have now changed their navy kit for red shirts, red shorts and red socks, playingSpain at their own game once again, keeping the ball in a huge round of possession.
Can Joselu be the magic man once again for La Selección?
Ansu and Joselu ON
Morata and Yeremy OFF
The Manchester City midfielder hit a ferocious effort that skimmed the post as it flew past the goal.
RODRI FIRES WIDE FROM DISTANCE!!!!
Spain are preparing to make some changes. It looks like Ansu and Joselu are about to come on.
Croatia are dominating the ball now and forcing Spain to chase it all over the pitch.
Petkovic ON
Pasalic OFF
Pasalic heads wide!
Another good chance for Croatia.
A big chance goes begging for Croatia as Modric and Kramaric get tangled up on the edge of the box; thinking the other one is lining up the shot... none of them hit the ball as it rolls across the 18-yard line.
Spain have ramped up the pressure over the last few minutes and are springing pressing traps across the midfield line.
Croatia's fans respond with a frankly terrifying noise from my right....
Perisic, tired from his running and fighting, chooses not to jump and meet Alba's cross from a fast break, allowing Asensio to connect with the ball at the back post and head just over the crossbar.
ASENSIO HEADS JUST OVER THE BAR!
Perisic holds R2 on the console controller and whizzes past Navas, who is no slouch. He then gets his legs tangled before falling over chief wind-up merchant, Gavi.
Rodri and Alba play a quick one-two down the left before a cross is whipped in by the left-back. Nobody reads the flight of the ball and it spins out for a goal kick.
I haven't copied and pasted this but Spain are taking the Croatian sting out the game with a long spell of slow possession. You can imagine it: lots of red shirts and passes between centre-backs.
A wasted chance for Spain as Asensio gets his cross all wrong from the right; Yeremy was waiting on the penalty spot but the ex-Madrid man's effort didn't clear the first defender.
CROATIA CHANCE!
The cross from the left is misjudged by Simón who fails to make contact and Juranovic hits a blazing effort just wide of the far post!
All of a sudden, Spain are on the back foot and Croatia have them squeezed into their own box. Juranovic's cross is punched away by Unai Simón but Spain fail to clear the ball which flies back in and across the face of goal.
Pasalic can't control Modric's pass and Spain recover the ball after Jordi Alba lost possession in the buildup with a poor effort right into the feet of Brozovic.
Just like at the start of the first half. Spain press Croatia high and look to cause early errors.
Nothing of note just yet, Croatia with the ball in between their midfield three plus Kramaric, who has dropped into the middle.
Joselu, Dani Olmo and Ansu Fati are warming up for Spain...
And we're off!
Who will win this?
I have no idea!
Here come the teams for the second half!
We're almost ready to go again!
Spain missing the target
Croatia have a higher xG and have created slightly more dangerous chances with less of the ball in what has been an intriguing affair so far in Rotterdam.
A stat that gives Spain hope?
"...Spain have only lost 3 of their last 27 after going into half-time at 0-0."
Which way is this going to go?
If you have the eyes, brain or mystic powers to call this game, then you're wasting your time not making millions of dollars on the TV as a magician.
This match is about as even a contest as you can find, with both teams having mini-spells of domination that could see the half cut up into 3-minute blocks from minute 1 to 45.
Spain have threatened Croatia's goal mainly through Morata's head, although Fabián has tried a few times to surprise from the edge of the box.
Croatia, for their part, have slightly more variety, and have tested Spain's centre-backs on the ground and in the air.
It's an incredibly even game and too close to call at half-time, but perhaps Spain need to find some more solutions in the middle of the pitch, as the longer it goes on, the more time Croatia's trio in midfield will have to work out how best to attack.
Half-time!
And that's all for now!
The ball flies out after Jordi Alba hits a cross from the middle channel.
That might have been the worst pre-planned free-kick I've ever seen: Yeremy and Asensio tapped the ball to each other before the cross from Alba - just in front of the centre-circle - flew out for a goal kick.
Yeremy goes down on the left of the box after being sandwiched by Modric and Brozovic. Free-kick to Spain.
Asensio and Yeremy are over the ball...
Shots: Croatia 4-5 Spain
Morata heads over after a nice run from Alba, who accelerated past Modric on the left.
It's a good thing this isn't a tennis match or I'd have no neck muscles left. The game is flipping wildly from one goal to the other and now it's Spain who are pushing to score.
5 minutes to go... I have no idea how this is going to end.
Croatia come close again, this time it's another Perisic leap that towers above Navas; Unai Simón saves.
The midfielder finds space on the left and dances past Gavi before slapping a ferocious cross across the face of goal that Spain's players all wait and watch for a Croatia shirt to fly in and tap into the net.
Somehow, nobody is there and Spain survive.
BROZOVIC WITH A CHANCE
This game is incredibly hard, if not impossible, to call.
Asensio's cross is good from the right but nobody makes the correct run to get on the end of the ball and Croatia, once again, break 20 yards forward like 11 adventurous puppies.
Le Normand avoids a card after a shirt pull on Kramaric; another Croatia counter causing problems for La Roja.
Ivan Perisic leaps like a 6-foot salmon and heads a high ball downwards and towards the bottom corner, surprising just about everyone in the stadium.
The cross seemed innocuous, and was just a huge punt upfield: a fantastic effort from the Spurs player to get the shot away.
Luckily for Spain, Unai was ready to pounce on the ball at the last second...
UNAI SIMÓN IS ALMOST CAUGHT OUT!!
This game is very difficult to pin down. Croatia are now dominating possession and forcing Spain back into their Roman testudo formation, with their shields in the shape of a tortoise shell covering all sides.
Spain win a corner after a good block from Sutalo. Spain are pressing Croatia back...
Rodri jumps well and gets a head on the cross but it comically bounces off the face of Morata and flies over the bar.
Fabián is found by Rodri in between the lines and hits a Quaresma-esque effort that is blocked well by the Croatian defence.
Eek. The corner is poor but Spain's counter is worse and Modric fires a cross in from the right which Unai sweeps up.
Just like that, Croatia threaten Spain's goal.
A long ball from Erlic catches the Spanish defence out and Kramaric manages to set them scrambling back as he takes the ball down.
Laporte makes the challenge and sends the ball out for a corner.
BIG CHANCE FOR CROATIA!
There's a slight pause in play as both teams argue for harsher punishments for their opponents: Spain want a penalty for what they think was a handball by Ivanusec but the referee is having none of it.
Croatia break and win a free-kick after Yeremy is judged to have fouled Kramaric.
Morata's header flies over but it was Erlic with the final touch. After 3 minutes and 30,000 passes, Spain's possession ends in a corner.
The Croatia fans have flares lit, songs belting out and flags waving: it is a truly fantastic atmosphere at the De Kuip stadium tonight.
To counter Croatia's pressure, Spain play a huge, pitch-sized rondo, keeping the ball between all 11 players, which takes the sting an threat out of the moment.
Spain are just being pushed back a bit here as Croatia pick up the pace of their on-ball passing and off-ball movement.
Laporte heads away a cross from the right after a few rotations on the wing opened up the space for Juranovic.
Spain get away with one as Pasalic gets in behind Laporte but the linesman blows for offside. The replay shows that it was probably the incorrect decision.
Gavi got the ball on the edge of the box after good pressure from Yeremy.
The Barça midfielder hit a low shot from the edge of the box towards the bottom-left corner that fizzed just wide!
GAVI WITH A BIG CHANCE!
Asensio tries to slide in Gavi down the right side but the pass is way too hard and the move breaks down.
It was offside, but that was a great chance for Spain to score.
Fabián danced his way into the box before playing to Alba, who hit a cross towards Livakovic from the left side of the pitch.
The goalkeeper dropped the ball and Morata got on the end of it, but the striker was in an offside position.
BIG CHANCE FOR MORATA!!!
Gavi almost gets on the end of a chipped ball over the top from Fabián but the pass is just too high; Spain had some nice possession in the middle third in the build-up.
Spain's press, after their all-action start, is more of a mid-block, with the side preferring to block any lanes in towards Croatia's midfield instead of pressuring the ball at the start of the move.
Juranovic whips in a cross from the right after getting past Alba and Unai Simón clears the ball away from goal.
Croatia look more than prepared to play Spain at their own possession game.
Big shouts from the crowd as Croatia break and get the 20,000+ fans on their feet.
Spain get back well and block out any potential gaps, winning back the ball with their frantic press before Croatia can advance into a dangerous area of the pitch.
It's a fast start from La Roja, who are pressing Croatia very high up the pitch. Modric's side are pinned back in their own half.
Alba smacks a dropping ball and his shot is deflected towards Livakovic in goal.
Spain start with their possession game at the back after a long ball from Croatia.
Asensio bursts down the right and gives Perisic his first challenge of the night.
And we're off!
Game on in Rotterdam!
Croatia to kick us off.
Time for the national anthems!
Huge boos as the Spanish national anthem rings around the stadium. I know it doesn't have any words, but no need to boo...
A reminder of the starting XIs:
Croatia XI: Livaković; Juranović, Erlić, Šutalo, Perišić; Brozović, Modrić, Kovačić; Pašalić, Ivanušec, Kramarić.
Spain XI: Simón; Navas, Le Normand, Laporte, Alba; Rodri, Fabián; Asensio, Gavi, Yeremi; Morata.
The players are in the tunnel...
The pre-match show is (finally) finishing up as the 22 protagonists wait patiently for the flags to be folded up neatly and dragged off the pitch.
Can Spain end their decade-long wait for a trophy?
Or will Croatia finally get their hands on some silverware after their World Cup final loss in 2018 and semi-final loss in 2022?
We're almost ready to go!
The pre-match show is underway and the countdown is on!
Rodri is Spain's man of the moment
The Manchester City midfielder comes into the game off the back of what was pretty much a perfect season.
Rodri anchored Pep Guardiola's side all season long and scored the winning goal in the Champions League final, sealing the treble for City.
He plays a similar role in Luis de la Fuente's Spain side, sitting in front of the defence and sometimes has a partner alongside him in a double pivot, which we expect to be Fabián Ruíz in today's game against Croatia.
His defensive prowess and on-pitch relationship with Fabián is going to be key if Spain are to halt the trio of Modric, Kovacic and Brozovic.
History on the side of La Roja...
Spain may have the head-to-head advantage over Luka Modric's men, but Croatia are on a simply stunning run: only one of their last 13 matches since the start of 2022 has ended in defeat (W7 D5), with two draws ending in penalty shootout wins.
Franck Fife / AFP
Spain looking for Nations League glory
Ex-Real Madrid striker Benzema and not-Real Madrid winger Mbappé teamed up together as France beat Spain in the last international final that La Roja featured in: the 2021 Nations League final.
Spain's record since then has been bumpy, with high-profile wins and losses juxtaposing against each other for what feels like a decade. Well, in fact, Spain's last trophy lift was indeed over 10 years ago, when they completed the historic treble of Euro-World Cup-Euro; since then their form has been slightly more patchy.
The squad is not the same as all those years ago, with many fans even falling out of love with the side along the way. Luis Enrique was a divisive figure and Luis de la Fuente is seen by many to be something of an uninspiring appointment, with his future being questioned over the past weeks given the results.
But now Spain have the chance to rewrite their name at the top of the history book and a victory over Croatia would go a long way to sealing up some of the wounds that have opened between the fans and the team.
This one's always a necessary read when Croatia are in town. The semi-final against the Netherlands was an utterly exhausting game from my point of view, and I played no part on the pitch.
I can't imagine how tired the players would have been by the time the referee blew the final whistle after 120 minutes of drama.
Here's a guide to what happens if, like often with Croatia, the two teams get to 90 minutes with the scoreboard level...
45 minutes to go!
The stadium is filling up now and just by glancing at the photo it's easy to see the sheer amount of red and white shirts all across the 50,000-seater ground. It's going to be an amazing atmosphere when the two teams take to the pitch!
An update on how things are going at the stadium...
La Roja have just come out of the tunnel to check out the playing surface as the fans slowly make their way from the big party outside the ground to their seats at the De Kuip stadium.
Hey, who is the referee for the game today?
Well, thanks for asking. It's Felix Zwayer, who is a particularly interesting character.
...but Zwayer’s career took a hit in 2005, when he found himself involved in a match-fixing scandal. Alongside several other high-ranking referees, Zwayer reported that 2. Bundesliga referee Robert Hoyzer was taking bribes to fix matches...
Told you he was an interesting man. Check out the full story here.
Croatia XI out!
Modric, Brozovic and Kovacic make up the tough midfield trio of Croatia this evening in Rotterdam.
Zlatko Dalic pre-match quotes:
We had a long and tough game on Wednesday, but we feel good. It's going to be a great final and we are going to give our all.
This competition is gaining a lot of importance, and we're in the final which is a great achievement. It's clear that this tournament has prestige.
Spain starting XI!
We've got a few changes to the Xi that beat Italy in the semi-final, with Asensio and Fabián coming into the side.
The fans are in great spirits ahead of the game
Croatia fans, as said, are outnumbering their Spanish counterparts by a huge number, with the 50,000+ capacity stadium set to be awash with red and white checked shirts. Here's a snap of the incredibly friendly atmosphere outside the ground.
Spain's recent results:
Spain, since the World Cup, have had a mixed run of form and have failed to convince, with the loss to Scotland at Hampden Park a particular low point.
- Spain2-1 Italy, June 2023
- Scotland 2-0Spain, March 2023
- Spain3-0 Norway, March 2023
- Morocco 0-0Spain (Morocco on penalties), December 2022
- Japan 2-1Spain, December 2022
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Here's all the information on how you can watch the game on TV and online, as well as follow the live coverage right here with myself.
Wolfgang Rattay / Reuters
Croatia fans are already out in full force...
Rotterdam is absolutely heaving with red and white shirts; there are expected to be around 20-25,000 fans supporting Luka Modric and co., with 6,000 Spaniards set to be inside the stadium.
Spain's dressing room is ready to go...
La Roja will be wearing their red shirt in tonight's game, as they look to end their decade-long wait for an international trophy.
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Joselu has scored 3 in two games for Spain and has become something of a cult hero at national level. The German-born forward had a strong season in LaLiga: despite being relegated with Espanyol, Joselu scored 19 goals and was the top-scoring Spaniard in the division.
He is now being linked with Real Madrid, so let's see where he ends up after the Nations League.
Luis de la Fuente pre-game:
The game will be very even. Every team have their positives, if we're here it's because we've shown that we are the best two sides in Europe.
We've practiced penalties, but we'd like to finish in 90 minutes. They've played more extra times, which is vital experience. We have to be calm, it's your head that allows your body to do things you don't think you can do."
Modric puts us all on alert. But it's not just about him. When you face a team with this talent, it puts you on alert. We are going to try and do well what we know best.
Croatia's strength in depth led them to an eventual 4-2 win over the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League semi-final earlier in the week, with Luka Modric pulling the strings once again for 119 minutes of the game.
Led by Zlatko Dalic, Croatia are an impenetrable object and an incredibly savvy team who have no issue whatsoever playing any type of game; Spain will need to be at their very best to get through their defence while watching out for the quick breaks that their midfield and attack can spring at any given moment...
Team news:
There are no huge injury concerns for either manager, with Rodrigo and Sutalo both expected to be OK for the game, despite the former looking likely to start from the bench.
As happened in Croatia's semi-final win over the Netherlands, Josko Gvardiol is still not fit to feature.
Welcome!
Hello and welcome to the live coverage of CroatiavsSpain in the UEFA Nations League final at the De Kuip Stadium in Rotterdam.
It's Joe here today to guide you through all the action.