Spain defeated Croatia 5-4 on penalties following a goalless draw after extra time to win the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League title. This is la Furia Roja’s first trophy since the 2012 European Championship.
Both Spain and Croatia got the game off to a strong start, taking shots from early on in order to find an opener. Gavi almost scored for Spain in the 12th minute, dragging his shot inches wide of the goalpost, while Andrej Kramaric threatened the Spanish defense on a counterattack which required Aymeric Laporte to make a last-ditch tackle.
While Mario Pasalic and Josip Juranovic came close for Croatia in the second half, it was Spain that dominated proceedings in the latter stages. Ansu Fati looked certain to win the match for Spain with his close-range shot in the 84th minute, only for defender Ivan Perisic to clear the ball off the goal line.
Although Spain continued to dominate in extra time, it took penalties to decide the contest, with defender Dani Carvajal firing home the winning goal for Spain after goalkeeper Unai Simon saved penalties from both Lovro Majer and Bruno Petkovic.
Luis de la Fuente, who took over the role of Spain’s manager after the 2022 World Cup, told fans to express faith in his young squad of players. “These players are used to winning,” de la Fuente stated after the game. “They have won so much coming through the ranks and this can continue, I think this competitive streak is back and we can look forward to winning more.”
