Merino's 88th-minute brace seals Spain's Nations League comeback over Croatia

Mikel Merino rescued Spain with a two-goal substitute appearance, his second strike arriving in the 88th minute to complete a 2-1 comeback win over Croatia in Split and secure La Roja’s place in the Nations League quarter-finals. The result extended Spain’s unbeaten run to 42 matches and gave them a perfect 12 points from their four-match window.

Spain had fallen behind when Ivan Perišić put Croatia ahead, and it took Merino’s introduction from the bench to turn the tie around. Goalkeeper Unai Simón made key saves to deny Igor Matanović and Perišić and keep Spain in the contest before Merino’s goals settled it.

The win came with a notable footnote on player workload. According to Mundo Deportivo, Simón and Aymeric Laporte both started and played the full 90 minutes in Split, bringing their total minutes across the four-match window to exactly 270 — the approximate ceiling Luis de la Fuente had set for the period. Defenders Marc Pubill, Pau Cubarsí and Marc Cucurella reached the same threshold, while Lamine Yamal finished on 282 minutes.

Laporte had also featured against England and Czechia during the window, and Mundo Deportivo highlighted both his defensive interventions and his passing as Spain took control in Split. The figures illustrate how heavily De la Fuente has leaned on a settled defensive core across the four fixtures.

Reaching the stated limit does not automatically determine either player’s role in the next selection, but it makes their minutes an immediate consideration as Spain transition from the group stage to the knockout rounds. De la Fuente will need to weigh keeping the side competitive in the remaining group fixtures — which will decide whether Spain finish first — against managing players who have already carried a full window’s worth of minutes.

Spain’s quarter-final place is confirmed, but the group standings are not yet finalised, leaving the coach with selection decisions that will reveal whether he rotates the established core or continues to rely on the same names ahead of the last eight.