Six minutes. That's how long Czechia held out before Lamine Yamal decided the evening's entertainment had to start. Collecting the ball on the right edge of the box, the 19-year-old took one touch, cut inside, and curled his trademark left-footed finish into the far top corner — a strike so good Luis de la Fuente grabbed his own head in disbelief on the touchline. For the third straight game in this Nations League campaign, Yamal had Spain ahead before the Oviedo crowd had settled. That's 11 goals in his last eight games for club and country, and with the Ballon d'Or awarded on October 26, the kid keeps making the decision easy.
The world champions barely had to stretch after that. An all-Barcelona midfield of Rodri, Pedri and Dani Olmo ran the show, and Rodri — the 2024 Ballon d'Or winner — doubled the lead on 35 minutes with his first Spain goal in more than two years, drilling home after Pedri's run turned the Czech box into chaos. De la Fuente gave Yamal the second half off ahead of Tuesday's trip to Croatia, and Spain felt the dip: Jiří Sláma curled home a fine counter-attack in the 69th minute, and Czechia briefly thought they'd equalized before the referee spotted a foul in the build-up.
Then Ladislav Krejčí walked for a second yellow, and substitute Mikel Merino wrapped it up in the 89th. Three wins from three, top of Group A3, three points clear of England — and 41 matches unbeaten, a run stretching back through July's World Cup final win over Argentina. Spain don't just keep winning. They keep winning the same way: early, beautifully, and without much doubt.
