Spain vs Croatia — match summary
Europe · UEFA Nations League · kick-off 30 Sept 2026 01:45
Full time · score 4-1
pPS pre-match readiness (0-100): Spain 72 · Croatia 43
mPS in-play performance (0-100): Spain 63 · Croatia 33
Shots on target 7-2 · corners 6-2 · possession 64-36
NextGOAL tip: Spain -1.75 · 2 stars
Spain and Croatia meet again in the UEFA Nations League, and the last time they faced each other Spain romped to a 3-0 win, while before that there were both a match where Spain scored six and one that ended in an entertaining share of the points. This time the two teams come in in conditions quite different from those games. Spain are unbeaten in five straight matches, their attack creates chances consistently from their higher share of possession, and they just closed things out with a 3-2 win in this competition. Croatia, meanwhile, have won three of their last five but also had a match where their defence fell apart twice. Overall they are a team that can both open up and shut down, depending on how well they control the rhythm. If Spain dominate the ball and push high the way they have in many recent matches, Croatia will likely drop back into a defensive block and wait for the moment to counter at speed. The game will be decided by how quickly Spain can break down a packed defence, and if they get the first goal, the match should flow the home side's way, just as the head-to-head history has recently suggested.