Spain continued their impressive run in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday as they defeated the Czech Republic 3-1 at the Carlos Tartiere Stadium in Oviedo.
Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal gave Spain the perfect start when he opened the scoring inside five minutes.
The youngster collected the ball on the edge of the box before cutting inside and curling a left-footed effort beyond goalkeeper Kinsky.
Yamal’s strike marked the third consecutive match in which he had opened the scoring for Spain, underlining his growing influence for the European champions.
Spain doubled their advantage before the half-hour mark through Rodri.
Pedri’s run into the box unsettled the Czech defence, and after the visitors failed to clear properly, the ball fell to Rodri, who fired a powerful effort into the net.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente made several changes at half-time, replacing Yamal and Alex Baena with Victor Munoz and Jeremy Pino. Mikel Merino and Fermin Lopez were also introduced for Pedri and Dani Olmo as De la Fuente rotated his squad.
The Czech Republic reduced the deficit around the 70th minute when Jiri Slama found space inside the penalty area and sent a low shot beyond Spain goalkeeper David Raya.
The visitors appeared to have equalised moments later after Ryan Nadri capitalised on an error by Raya and bundled the ball into the net.
However, the goal was disallowed after the referee ruled that Nadri had fouled Robin Le Normand.
Czech defender Ladislav Krejci was subsequently sent off after receiving a second yellow card for stopping a Spanish attack.
Spain then sealed the victory in the closing stages when Merino followed up after Kinsky had saved Munoz’s effort, slotting the rebound into the net.
The victory was Spain’s third successive win in the Nations League, following earlier victories over England and Croatia, while the Czech Republic remain without a point in the group.
