Spain have made a rapid start against Croatia and once again, Lamine Yamal has been at the centre of almost everything, with the score 2-1 to the world champions heading towards half-time. Yamal opened the scoring inside the opening 90 seconds, the fastest goal of the 2026-27 Nations League so far. He combined with Alex Baena and, after Fermin Lopez dummy helped create the opening, calmly swept the ball into the far corner with his trademark left foot.He has since added an assist for Marc Pubills 31st-minute header. Yamal played a short corner to Fermin, received it back and floated a cross into the box for Pubill to power home.That means the Barcelona winger has one goal and one assist, days after scoring in the 3-2 win over England.He has also been heavily involved beyond the numbers. In the 20th minute, Yamal nearly picked out Mikel Oyarzabal with a clipped pass from the right, while Spain have repeatedly looked to him as they keep Croatia pinned back.Croatia briefly levelled through Dion Beljo after Ivan Perisic delivered an excellent cross, but Spain remain in the driving seat thanks to Yamals efforts.It coincides with his push to win the Ballon dOr, which looks like a shootout between him and England captain Harry Kane.The award will be decided next month at the London Palladium. Topics Croatia National Football Team Lamine Yamal Spain National Football Team Add us as a preferred source on Google If you enjoy reading this article, you can help support our independent football journalism by adding 101 Great Goals as a preferred source You Should Also Read Spain vs Croatia live: Confirmed teams and line ups Ben Miller 29th September, 2026 Tip of the Day: Spain to march on and more misery for struggling Carlisle Jon Fisher 29th September, 2026 England squad announcement: Full list for Nations League 2026 Ben Miller 29th September, 2026 Spain v Croatia: Preview, expected line-ups, stats and where to watch Ben Miller 29th September, 2026 Tuchel laments Kane penalty miss: Spain would have believed unbeaten run ends here Tom Rostance 27th September, 2026 UEFA Nations League: Modric gets Croatia off to winning start under Bilic Nicholas McGee 26th September, 2026
