Nations League Final: Spain Defeat Croatia 5-4 On Penalties

It was another heartbreak for Croatia and Luka Modric who missed out on another opportunity to lift an international trophy as Spain edged past them in the final of the Nations League on penalties.

It was upon Dani Carvajal to seal the win for Spain and end their 11-year trophy drought as he chipped calmly to win it 5-4 as the match went into penalties. Unai Simon had earlier saved from Bruno Petkovic to hand the ball in Spain’s court.

The match, being played at Rotterdam, had finished goalless after extra time. Meanwhile, Spain lifted their first international trophy for 11 years after last winning the Euro 2012.

Spanish midfielder Rodri spoke after the victory saying, “We're so happy, it was a really tough game and this is so difficult to do.” He was named man of the match who followed his treble winning exploits with Manchester City and scoring the winning goal in the Champions League final.

This victory for Spain means they have become the second nation to win the World Cup, European Championship and Nations League after France, who defeated Spain in the 2021 Nations League final.

Unai Simon kept out two efforts in the penalty shootout from Lovro Majer and Petkovic with Aymeric Laporte slamming his effort off the crossbar, while Dani Carvajal scored.

The Real Madrid defender said, “"For us it was a unique opportunity, we went out early in another tournament and today we had to take advantage.”

Elsewhere, this was another opportunity where Croatia and Luka Modric came up short after reaching the final of the 2018 World Cup and finishing third at the Qatar World Cup. Croatia were aiming for their maiden international title, however, it was not to be.

It was also a chance for Luka Modric to cap off a stellar career with an international trophy. However, the pressure may have contributed as Croatia started off slowly.

Also Read: Germany Score Late To Draw Against Spain, Keep WC Hopes Alive