Spain thrashes Croatia 4-1 in the Nations League with brilliant performances from Lamine Yamal and Fermín López

Spain continues to be a well-rounded and happy team, solid and lethal; encouraged by the genius of Lamine Yamal, fired after a World Cup that was too short for him to finish finding himself. But here he is, picking up the thread with which the second star was embroidered, which he brings out more shine than anyone else, with two great goals against Croatia after the one he signed in the temple of Wembley. La Roja overwhelmed a diminished Croatian team in a complete match in which they were able to distribute efforts and refresh players to continue this tight Nations route that takes them to Oviedo on Saturday.

In Seville, Spain once again showed off the fine tuning that Luis de la Fuente has achieved: the mechanism works with such precision that it does not seem to matter what parts it is assembled with for each function. At the Sánchez Pizjuán, just 72 hours after the victory against England, the coach came out with five changes. Huijsen, Zubimendi, Fermín, Baena and Oyarzabal entered and everything flowed like on any of the sweet nights of the national team. From the first touch, with that delicious mix of harmony and vertigo with which this group overwhelms, until the 26th touch, 70 seconds later, when Lamine already scored after a backheel from Fermín without the Croats smelling the ball. From the kickoff to 1-0, the first flash with which Spain began to burn Croatia.

The play already contained almost everything that La Roja was going to exhibit, which has been astonishing the world for three years. Zubimendi, Fabián, Baena, Cubarsí and Huijsen played and played, until the maneuvers deployed in front caused an imbalance in the rival structure and a space opened up through which Cucurella, for example, ran. The first battery of assaults was launched by the full-back from the left, with the rivals always looking for the ball elsewhere. Spain came and came, while Bilic's team, half exhausted, endured the suffering, waiting for a moment's pause that would allow them to find their footing.

They had a hard time clinging to the ledge of the game, overwhelmed by Spain's dense network of passes. Sutalo and Kovacic gasped in the middle surrounded by a swarm that floated around them. Until the Manchester City midfielder managed to hook the ball for a stretch and connected with Perisic, who found the head of the giant Beljo with a cross from the right, crouching behind Cubarsi, just in front of Huijsen, as giant as him, 1.95, but who reacted late, when the striker had already shot into the net.

The tie did not move a hair from Spain, who scored again just two minutes later. Lamine and Fermín, more alive than the Croatians, surprised them with a blackboard corner that ended in a right-footed cross from the 19th that Pubill headed in.

It was also Fermín's definitive awakening, indecipherable between the lines, explosive and direct. He flew through the central lane, leaving a trail of panic in the rivals that he overcame towards Livakovic's goal, whom he tested insistently. The first shot went wide, the second was cleared by the goalkeeper and the third hit the post. The Barça attacker, back with La Roja after missing the World Cup due to an injury, gave off a penetrating aroma of imminent danger. Although it did not materialize.

La Roja struck again with the next wave of freshmen players, Merino and Pedri. With other parts, the machine continued rolling over Croatia. The Canarian filtered a pass from a run by Lamine, who almost without an angle found a gap between the post and his Barça teammate, Livakovic, to score the third and make way for more refreshments. Rodri, Nico Williams and Víctor Muñoz joined, shortly before Sánchez Pizjuán stood up to receive the entry of the legendary Luka Modric, now 41 years old. His wisdom gave Croatia a few minutes of pause, but Spain continued their work and Nico Williams scored the fourth to close another jubilant night for the world champion team, which continues to seem unattainable for the rest.