De La Fuente Hails Yamal’s Magic As Spain Extend Unbeaten Run To 40

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente praised Lamine Yamal’s ‘magic’ after the Barcelona winger inspired the world champions to a 4-1 victory over Croatia in the UEFA Nations League on Tuesday.

Yamal scored twice and provided an assist as Spain extended their record unbeaten run to 40 matches.

The 19-year-old opened the scoring after just 70 seconds before setting up Marc Pubill for Spain’s second goal. He then struck again in the 63rd minute, with Nico Williams completing the victory late on.

‘Today we enjoyed Yamal’s magic again, but he puts his magic at the service of the team,’ De la Fuente said, praising the youngster’s contribution to the collective effort.

The coach also highlighted Yamal’s humility, saying Spain were fortunate to have him within the squad.

Yamal has now contributed 18 goals in his last eight matches for club and country, scoring 11 times and providing seven assists, according to ESPN.

Spain’s victory over Croatia followed their 3-2 win over England and leaves them top of Nations League Group A3 with six points from two matches.

Spain will face Czechia next on October 3 before completing the international window against Croatia on October 6.