Mikel Merino came off the bench to score twice and rescue the world champions, but Spain's 2-1 comeback win over Croatia in Split will be remembered as much for the Marc Cucurella controversy that left Luka Modric seething.
La Roja sealed their place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals with a perfect four wins from four, yet they had to do it the hard way — falling behind, surviving another shaky defensive night, and waiting until the 88th minute to complete the turnaround in front of a raucous Poljud crowd.
Perisic Strikes Early
Croatia, still reeling from Saturday's 7-0 annihilation by England, were supposed to be broken. Instead, Slaven Bilic's side produced their best performance of the campaign. They went close first, with Unai Simon producing a point-blank stop to deny Josip Stanisic's towering header. Then, in the 17th minute, the breakthrough came: Igor Matanovic's stinging effort was parried by the goalkeeper, and Ivan Perisic reacted quickest to nod home the rebound — his 40th international goal. Spain's nerves were showing. Simon almost gifted Croatia a second when Nikola Vlasic intercepted his loose pass, only for the goalkeeper to atone with a fine save. La Roja did not register an attempt on target until the stroke of half-time, when Mikel Oyarzabal's header was held by Dominik Livakovic and Lamine Yamal fired into the side-netting.
Merino To The Rescue
Luis de la Fuente had seen enough. Merino was introduced at half-time, and within 16 minutes the Arsenal midfielder had hauled Spain level, sweeping home Dani Olmo's lay-off with a clinical left-footed finish into the bottom corner after Stanisic's headed clearance was intercepted. Spain pushed for the lead, with Lamine Yamal's deflected effort narrowly missing the far post. Yet the defensive frailties that have stalked their Nations League campaign resurfaced: Martin Zubimendi's errant pass gifted Perisic a golden chance, and only another Simon save kept the scores level.
Then came the flashpoint that ignited the evening. Perisic was shown a second yellow card for a late challenge on Cucurella in the 79th minute, reducing the hosts to ten men — a decision upheld by VAR. And it was what happened next that sent social media into meltdown: referee Eric Lambrechts fumbled and dropped his red card amid the Croatian protests, and Cucurella picked it up and handed it to him so he could brandish it at Perisic. Footage of the incident spread like wildfire, with fans claiming the Chelsea full-back had earned himself a "red card assist".
Modric Fumes
Croatia's captain did not see the funny side. Modric was brutally honest afterwards: "I don't know what is going on with the VAR. If we had stayed level in terms of numbers, we certainly wouldn't have lost. It's better if I don't say what I told Cucurella." Bilic was equally unhappy with the Spaniard: "Who is not angry with Cucurella if he is not on their team? He is a great player, I admire him for what he does on the pitch... He defends his team with everything, but of course he provokes." Cucurella himself insisted there was no controversy: "I think the red card for Perisic is clear. There was contact."
Late Winner Settles It
With Croatia clinging on, Spain finally struck the decisive blow in the 88th minute. Zubimendi atoned for his earlier error by setting up Merino, who took the ball in his stride and smashed an unstoppable left-footed effort past Livakovic. It was Spain's first away victory in Croatia at the third attempt, extending their remarkable unbeaten run to 41 matches and keeping them top of Group A3 with a perfect record. FotMob's match report summed up a night where the world champions had to dig deeper than expected.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Spain's comeback showed the mark of champions — Merino off the bench, 41 games unbeaten, quarter-finals booked. But the real talking point is Cucurella's "red card assist" and Modric's fury. Was Perisic's dismissal harsh, or was the referee spot on? Have your say in the comments.
