Marco Asensio scored his first international goal and guided Spain to an emphatic 6-0 win over Croatia on Tuesday night in UEFA Nations League action.
Croatia could do little to stop the Spanish onslaught as the World Cup finalists suffered their worst ever defeat in team history.
Tuesday’s match in Elche marked ex-Barcelona boss Luis Enrique’s first home game as Spain manager, and his second win in as many matches since taking over La Roja reins in July.
Elche native Saul Niguez scored the night’s first goal in the 24th minute with a leaping header off Dani Carvajal’s long diagonal cross that bounced past Croatia goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic.
Asensio opened up his national team scoring account with a spectacular left-footed strike from 25 yards out in the 32nd minute. Two minutes later, the Real Madrid midfielder rocketed another shot that rattled the crossbar and clipped Kalinic, settling in for an own-goal off the diving Croatian stopper.
Rodrigo scored after slipping past the Croatian backline on a through-ball from Asensio in the 49th minute. In the 57th minute, Spain captain Sergio Ramos headed in his 14th international goal for the team’s fifth on the night.
Isco capped Spain’s offensive show with a right-footed shot from the center of the box in the 70th minute.
Croatia’s best moment came before the first whistle even blew. Ivan Rakitic received a warm applause from the crowd as the Barcelona midfielder was honored by Croatian officials prior to the match for his 100th national team cap.
Spain now have six points in UEFA Nations League Group 4 after two games. Croatia and England have no points after their respective losses to Spain.
Leave a Reply