The two Group A3 matches unfolded very differently: Spain had to work hard against a much-improved Croatia side, while England dominated Czechia for long spells and once again underlined their attacking strength following the 7-0 win over Croatia.
Merino turns a difficult game around for Spain
After Spain’s 4-1 win in the reverse fixture and Croatia’s historic 7-0 defeat to England, the pre-match picture appeared fairly clear. On the pitch in Split, however, Croatia looked far more organised. Slaven Bilić set his side up in a compact 4-5-1 and instructed them to break quickly after winning possession. Spain had far more of the ball but struggled for long periods to find space in dangerous areas against Croatia’s narrow midfield shape.
Croatia even took the lead in the 17th minute. After a quick attack, Unai Simón initially saved Igor Matanović’s effort, but Ivan Perišić headed in the rebound to make it 1-0. Spain continued to dominate possession afterwards, but the better chances initially fell to the hosts.
The numbers underline just how unusual the game was. Spain had 72 per cent possession and completed 778 passes, yet the shot count finished level at 10-10. Croatia even registered five efforts on target compared with Spain’s three. The hosts also held a slight edge in expected goals, 1.17 to 1.09. Simón made four saves and prevented Croatia from extending their lead, particularly in the first half.
Luis de la Fuente reacted at half-time by replacing Álex Baena with Mikel Merino. The change altered Spain’s attacking structure. Merino occupied the spaces in and around the penalty area more consistently and gave the team greater presence through the middle. In the 61st minute, Dani Olmo found the substitute, who finished low to make it 1-1.
The game remained open. Simón later denied Perišić again before the Croatian veteran was sent off in the 79th minute after receiving a second yellow card. Spain increased the pressure and were rewarded in the 88th minute: Merino controlled a pass from Martín Zubimendi before scoring his second goal of the night to complete the comeback.
De la Fuente praised both Merino and the impressive Simón after the match. He was particularly pleased with the way his side responded after falling behind. Spain have 12 points from four matches and are already guaranteed a place in the quarter-finals. The world champions are also now unbeaten in 42 consecutive internationals.
Kane makes history in comfortable England win
England had a much easier time in their 3-0 victory over Czechia. After the spectacular 7-0 win in Croatia, Thomas Tuchel’s side maintained their strong form and scored ten goals without reply across four days.
Once again, Harry Kane was at the centre of everything. The Bayern Munich striker made his 125th international appearance, drawing level with Peter Shilton as England’s joint-record appearance holder. Kane was also directly involved in all three goals.
In the 27th minute, his dangerous cross forced Vladimír Coufal into an own goal. England’s second shortly before half-time was particularly impressive: Elliot Anderson played a precise pass in behind the Czech defence, Morgan Rogers redirected it first time and Kane finished from close range. In the 57th minute, the captain headed in from a Lewis Hall corner.
Kane has now scored 91 goals for England. His current run is particularly remarkable: he has already scored 13 times in 13 internationals in 2026.
Tuchel’s tactical tweaks continue to pay off
England’s tactical development was also evident once again. Tuchel has increasingly used Jude Bellingham closer to Kane while still giving him the freedom to drift towards the right. That allowed him to combine repeatedly with Rogers in dangerous areas. England’s full-backs also pushed forward more aggressively than they did during the early stages of Tuchel’s tenure.
England had 64 per cent possession, outshot Czechia 17-5 and recorded 39 touches in the opposition penalty area compared with eight. The expected-goals numbers were even more emphatic at 2.05 to 0.17. Czechia did not manage a single shot on Jordan Pickford’s goal.
Tuchel confirmed afterwards that he had adjusted several positional details during the international window in order to make better use of his players’ individual strengths. After opening the campaign with a narrow 3-2 defeat to Spain, England have now won three consecutive matches, scoring 12 goals without conceding.
With nine points, the Three Lions sit three behind Spain and are in an excellent position in the race for the quarter-finals. The two leading sides will meet again in Madrid at the end of the group stage in November.
Slovenia come from behind in Scotland
In League B, Slovenia claimed an important 2-1 away win in Scotland. Ryan Christie put the hosts ahead after 31 minutes, but Aljoša Matko equalised shortly after the break before Danijel Šturm completed the comeback in the 71st minute.
Scotland had slightly more possession at 54 per cent and edged the shot count 12-10, but repeatedly struggled with Slovenia’s quick attacks in behind the defence after the interval. Captain Andy Robertson later criticised his team’s lack of intensity. Slovenia now sit alone in second place in the group.
Switzerland maintain perfect record
Switzerland continue to pull clear at the top of the group. Murat Yakin’s side beat North Macedonia 3-0 to make it four wins from four.
Fabian Rieder opened the scoring shortly before half-time, while Johan Manzambi and Dan Ndoye added further goals late on. Switzerland registered 20 shots compared with just three from the visitors and did not allow a single effort on target. The 1.54 to 0.31 xG margin reflected their clear superiority.
With 12 points and an 11-1 goal difference, Switzerland are firmly on course for an immediate return to League A.
Slovakia record the biggest win of the night
In League C, Slovakia won 4-0 away in Moldova to record the largest victory of the evening. Belarus beat Finland 1-0, while Albania edged San Marino 2-1.
Bulgaria won 2-0 in Luxembourg. Estonia and Iceland played out a goalless draw, while Kazakhstan and the Faroe Islands shared the points in a 2-2 draw.
Matchday 4 of the Nations League is now complete. After four matches in roughly two weeks, the national teams have a break of just over a month before the final two rounds of the group stage take place in mid-November.
