Lamine Yamal has started Spain’s 2026-27 UEFA Nations League campaign with an impressive scoring run. The Barcelona forward scored against England at Wembley before striking twice against Croatia in Seville 3 days later.
Those performances helped Spain collect 6 points from its opening 2 Group A3 matches. Yamal also reached 10 senior international goals while continuing his record-setting Spain career, which began when he was 16.
Yamal strikes early against England at Wembley
Spain opened its Nations League campaign against England at Wembley on Sept. 26. Yamal scored in the 2nd minute after dispossessing Marc Guéhi and firing a low shot past goalkeeper James Trafford.
England recovered through goals from Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane before halftime, leaving Spain trailing 2-1 despite Yamal’s early goal. Spain responded after halftime and completed a 3-2 comeback victory. Álex Baena equalized in the 60th minute before Mikel Oyarzabal scored the winner in the 74th.
Spain’s comeback win over England gave the team its first 3 Group A3 points and pushed its unbeaten competitive run to 39 matches, continuing the momentum from its 2026 World Cup title while setting up a strong Nations League start.
Yamal strikes again as Croatia faces setback
Spain returned home to face Croatia in Seville on Sept. 29. Yamal struck again in the 2nd minute after Álex Baena played the ball into the area and Fermín López let it run through.
The 19-year-old met it first time and curled a low shot inside the far post to give Spain another early lead. Croatia equalized through Dion Beljo’s header in the 28th minute.
Spain regained the lead less than 3 minutes later when Yamal crossed from the right, and Marc Pubill powered a header past Dominik Livaković. Spain carried that 2-1 advantage into halftime before adding 2 more goals after the break.
Second Yamal goal seals impressive Spain display
Yamal continued his influence after contributing to Spain’s first 2 goals. In the 63rd minute, he collected Pedri’s pass inside the penalty area and scored from a tight angle.
The finish gave Spain a 3-1 advantage and completed Yamal’s 2-goal performance against Croatia. Nico Williams completed the scoring in the 89th minute as Spain secured a 4-1 victory.
The result moved Spain to 6 points from its opening 2 Nations League matches. Yamal finished the Croatia game with 2 goals and an assist after scoring once against England, giving him 3 goals across Spain’s first 2 matches.
Yamal international numbers continue growing with Spain
Yamal had 35 senior appearances and 10 goals for Spain after the Croatia victory. He added another goal against Czechia on Oct. 3, bringing his Spain total to 11 goals. Yamal turned 19 in July 2026. His international career began in September 2023 when Spain faced Georgia in a European Championship qualifier.
He scored during that match and immediately entered the record books. Yamal was 16 years and 57 days old when he played against Georgia.
UEFA records show that he became Spain’s youngest senior international and the youngest scorer in European Championship qualifying history. He had played only 5 first-team matches for Barcelona before scoring on his senior Spain debut.
Yamal started setting international records years earlier
Yamal continued setting age records during UEFA Euro 2024. He became the youngest player ever to appear at the European Championship when Spain faced Croatia at 16 years and 338 days.
He later scored against France in the semifinal at 16 years and 362 days, becoming the youngest goalscorer in tournament history. Spain then defeated England 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final.
Yamal was 17 years and 1 day old, making him the youngest player to appear in a European Championship or World Cup final. UEFA also recognizes him as the youngest player to win a major international tournament. He achieved both records 1 day after his 17th birthday.
Spain reaches 41 competitive matches unbeaten
Spain’s 4-1 victory over Croatia extended its unbeaten run to 40 competitive matches. Spain then beat Czechia 3-1 on Oct. 3, extending the run to 41 matches and keeping its perfect Nations League start alive.
Spain now has 9 points from its first 3 Group A3 matches. England has 6 points after beating Croatia 7-0, while Croatia has 3 points and Czechia has none. Spain has 3 league-phase matches remaining.
UEFA’s schedule has Spain facing each Group A3 opponent twice during the league phase. Spain’s next Group A3 match is against Croatia on Oct. 6, and it is scheduled to complete its group campaign against England on Nov. 15.
Group A3 begins taking shape after matches
Croatia began the Nations League by beating Czechia 2-1 before losing to Spain. England recovered from its opening defeat with a 2-0 victory away to Czechia on Sept. 29. Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane scored after Czech midfielder Pavel Šulc was sent off in the first half.
The group changed again on Oct. 3. Spain beat Czechia 3-1 to move to 9 points from 3 matches, while England beat Croatia 7-0 to reach 6 points. Croatia remains on 3 points, and Czechia has none.
Lamine Yamal scored 3 goals across Spain’s opening 2 victories. He scored once in the 3-2 win over England and twice in the 4-1 victory over Croatia. He also provided an assist against Croatia, then scored again against Czechia on Oct. 3.
Yamal adds to his international record
Yamal recorded 3 goals across Spain’s opening Nations League matches against England and Croatia. He also provided an assist in the victory over Croatia. He then scored again against Czechia on Oct. 3, raising his senior Spain total to 11 goals.
Yamal made his Spain debut against Georgia at age 16. He became Spain’s youngest senior international and youngest goalscorer when he scored in the same match. He has since represented Spain in major international competitions, including Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup.
At 19, Yamal continues to add appearances and goals for the national team. Spain has 3 matches remaining in the Nations League group phase. Its next fixtures will determine whether the team advances from Group A3.
Little-known fact: Lamine Yamal starred for Spain during their victorious UEFA Euro 2024 campaign, setting multiple youngest-ever records along the way.
TL;DR
- Yamal scored in Spain’s 3-2 victory over England at Wembley.
- He scored twice and added an assist in Spain’s 4-1 win over Croatia.
- Spain collected 6 points from its first 2 Nations League matches.
- Yamal had 35 senior appearances and 10 goals after the Croatia match, then scored his 11th goal for Spain against Czechia on Oct. 3.
- Spain’s win over Croatia extended its unbeaten run to 40 matches, and its Oct. 3 win over Czechia extended the run to 41.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
