Spain maintained their strong form by defeating the Czech Republic 2-0 in the UEFA Nations League, stretching their consecutive victories to 12 matches. The world champions needed to wait until the final phases of the game to confirm the outcome, though a sending-off for the home side assisted them in keeping things under control in Prague.
Alex Baena broke the deadlock with a penalty kick before Marc Pubill decided the match with a goal during stoppage time. The outcome also pushed Spain’s undefeated sequence across all competitions to 43 games.
Alex Baena’s spot kick puts Spain in front
Spain found the breakthrough in the 39th minute after home midfielder Lukas Ambros was punished for a handball offence. Baena took responsibility and successfully converted the penalty to give the away side the lead.
Crystal Palace attacker Yeremy Pino seemed to have increased Spain’s lead, but his goal was disallowed due to offside, keeping the Czech Republic within striking distance of an equaliser.
The home team nearly levelled things when Adam Hlozek directed a header onto the crossbar, serving Spain a reminder that the match was still open.
Czech Republic down to 10 players following VAR intervention
The decisive moment arrived in the 69th minute when Czech captain Ladislav Krejci received a red card for a professional foul on Roberto Fernandez. The Wolves defender was originally given a yellow card, but a VAR check led the referee to reverse the call and show a red instead.
The sending-off left the Czech Republic with 10 men for the rest of the encounter, making their challenge of getting back into the game significantly more difficult.
Marc Pubill confirms Spain’s Nations League win
Spain finally capitalised on their player advantage in added time. Pubill gained possession near the penalty area before coolly finishing to clinch a 2-0 win.
The result stretched Spain’s winning run to 12 matches and their undefeated streak across all competitions to 43 games. They had already guaranteed their place in the Nations League quarter-finals prior to making the trip to Prague.
Spain will now focus on Sunday’s last group match against England. With both teams facing off in a fixture that will decide who tops the standings, the meeting is expected to be a major challenge for the world champions.