Round 4 reshaped Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, rapidly turning the competition from an open four-team battle into a two-way race for the top spot, while one of the continent’s heavyweights now requires a near-miracle to avoid an early exit.
Croatia entered their clash against Spain in Split needing to redeem themselves in front of their home fans following a historic 7-0 thrashing by England. Indeed, they presented a completely different side during the first half, pressing aggressively and capitalizing on a sluggish start from Luis de la Fuente’s side.
Ivan Perišić translated Croatian dominance into a goal in the 17th minute, turning in the rebound after Unai Simón saved a strike from Igor Matanović. Croatia nearly doubled their advantage, while Spain struggled to threaten Dominik Livaković’s goal despite showing gradual improvement before the break.
However, De la Fuente changed the course of the match by introducing Mikel Merino for Álex Baena at the start of the second half. The midfielder needed just 16 minutes to level the score with a low drive following a pass from Dani Olmo. Spain then capitalized on a red card shown to Perišić to complete their comeback in the 88th minute, when Martín Zubimendi sent a pass into the box, which Merino controlled brilliantly before unleashing a volley into the top corner to seal a 2-1 victory.
With this brace, Merino led Spain to their fourth consecutive victory, maintaining a perfect record of 12 points following earlier wins over England (3-2), Croatia (4-1), and the Czech Republic (3-1). The world champions extended their winning streak to 11 matches and officially secured qualification for the quarter-finals, though top spot in the group remains unresolved.
At Wembley, England had little trouble dispatching the Czech Republic 3-0. Vladimir Coufal opened the scoring with an own goal in the 27th minute attempting to clear a Harry Kane cross, before the English captain added the second goal in the 40th minute and completed his brace with a 57th-minute header from a corner.
The fixture carried historic significance for Kane, who earned his 125th international cap to equal goalkeeper Peter Shilton’s record as England’s most-capped player, while raising his international goal tally to 91. Thomas Tuchel’s side secured their third consecutive victory following their opening loss to Spain, scoring 12 goals without conceding in their last three outings.
Croatia’s collapse is evident in the numbers: after opening with a 2-1 win over the Czech Republic, the Balkan side suffered a 4-1 loss to Spain, endured the heaviest defeat in their history in a 7-0 loss to England, and then surrendered a lead to fall again to Spain. Across those three defeats, Croatia conceded 13 goals while scoring just twice, leaving them stuck on three points with a goal difference of -10 (4 scored, 14 conceded).
Spain top the group with 12 points and a +7 goal difference, followed by England on 9 points (+11), Croatia on 3 points (-10), and the Czech Republic bottom with zero points. Spain have officially qualified, while England are all but through, as Croatia would need to win both remaining matches, hope England lose to Spain, and somehow overturn the goal difference damage from the 7-0 thrashing. The Czech Republic can no longer reach the quarter-finals, which are scheduled for March 25 and 30, 2027.
