Spain won their first international title in 11 years after beating Croatia on penalties in the UEFA Nations League final on Sunday.
The game ended goalless after 120 minutes of play, with both teams failing to create clear chances in a tense encounter at Rotterdam’s Feyenoord Stadium.
Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon was the hero of the shootout, saving two penalties from Lovro Majer and Bruno Petkovic.
Aymeric Laporte missed a chance to seal the victory for Spain when he hit the bar with his spot-kick, but Dani Carvajal made no mistake with a cheeky chip (panenka) to give Spain a 5-4 win.
Spain’s triumph follows their World Cup win in 2010 and three European Championship titles in 1964, 2008 and 2012.
They become the second nation to win the World Cup, European Championship and Nations League after France, who beat them in the 2021 final.
Spain’s Rodri was selected as the man of the match, while Jesus Navas became the first player to win the World Cup, the European Championship, and the Nations League.
The defeat is excruciating for Croatia who have come so close and tried to win an international trophy in the last five years in vain. They Lost the World Cup final to France in 2018, finished third in last year’s World Cup in Qatar, and have finished runners-up in the Nations League.
