Spain preserved a 2½-year unbeaten streak by rallying to beat Croatia 2-1 thanks to a clutch second-half double from super-sub Mikel Merino on Tuesday in Split.
Merino — a star off the bench so many times for Spain in recent years — powered home an 88th-minute strike to complete the world champions’ stirring comeback to extend their unbeaten run to 43 games — with 36 of those wins.
The Arsenal midfielder had already equalized in the 61st minute after entering as a halftime substitute, with Spain trailing to a goal by Ivan Perisic. That marked the first time the Spanish had gone behind since June 2024.
Perisic was sent off in the 79th minute after a foul on Spain defender Marc Cucurella earned him a second yellow card on the night.
And Merino popped up in the 88th minute to seal the game for Spain, expertly controlling a pass into the area, turning and blasting a volley past Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.
The win means Spain joins Portugal as the only teams to win all their group games in the Nations League over the last two weeks, with both clinching spots in next year’s quarterfinals.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this recap.
