Foot/ UEFA Nations League 2023: Spain win the title by beating in the final Croatia after penalties

On Sunday, Spain emerged as the victors of the 2023 UEFA Nations League by defeating Croatia 5-4 in a penalty shootout.

Throughout the regular time and extra time, neither team managed to score a goal, leading to the need for penalties to determine the winner in the final held at Feyenoord Stadium in Rotterdam.

Croatia’s Nikola Vlasic, Marcelo Brozovic, Luka Modric, and Ivan Perisic successfully scored their penalties, while Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simon saved Lovro Majer and Bruno Petkovic’s attempts. Joselu, Rodri, Mikel Merino, Marco Asensio, and Dani Carvajal were the scorers for Spain.

During the shootout, Aymeric Laporte from Spain was the only player to miss a penalty, striking the crossbar with a powerful shot. After Petkovic’s miss, Carvajal confidently converted his penalty, securing the Spanish victory in the 2023 final.

Spain, who had previously won the UEFA EURO championships in 1964, 2008, and 2012, added another prestigious UEFA trophy to their collection. This marked their first win in the Nations League.

Croatia, on the other hand, returned home with a silver medal. The Nations League, UEFA’s biennial international football competition launched in 2018, had previously been won by Portugal in 2019 and France in 2021.

The 2022–23 edition of the UEFA Nations League, which is the third season of this international football competition was held from 14 to 18 June 2023 in the Netherlands.

Yannick H