Yamal strikes early as world champions Spain beat Czechia 3-1

📰 Lamine Yamal's sixth-minute curler set world champions Spain on their way to a 3-1 win over Czechia and a third straight Nations League victory. 📌 Key points ⚽ Yamal opened the scoring after six minutes with a curling left-footer from the edge of the box. 🧢 Captain Rodri doubled the lead on 35 minutes after Pedri's run into the area. 🟥 Czech defender Ladislav Krejčí was sent off for a second booking on 85 minutes. 🔁 Substitute Mikel Merino forced in a rebound on 89 minutes to seal it. 📈 Spain have now won three from three and are unbeaten in 41 games in all competitions. 📝 What happened 🏟️ Spain beat Czechia 3-1 at the Carlos Tartiere in Oviedo on 3 October in Group A3 of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League. Yamal took the ball on the corner of the box, sent the defence the wrong way with a feint and bent a left-footer into the top corner. 🧢 On 35 minutes Pedri dribbled into the area and set up Rodri, who finished from close range. Yamal nearly added another with a lob that drifted just wide. ⚠️ Jiří Sláma pulled one back for Czechia on 69 minutes, but Wolves defender Krejčí picked up a second yellow for a foul on Roberto Fernández with five minutes left. Merino, on as a substitute, then knocked in a rebound in the final minute. 📋 Some felt Spain made the evening harder than it needed to be by failing to add to their early two-goal lead, giving Czechia hope. Still, the result kept their perfect record intact. 📊 By the numbers • Goals: Yamal 6', Rodri 35', Sláma 69' (Czechia), Merino 89' • Group A3: Spain 9 pts, England 6, Croatia 3, Czechia 0 • Spain's unbeaten run: 41 matches 🔭 Why it matters Spain stay top of the group and move closer to the next round, and Yamal again produced the decisive moment of a Ballon d'Or contender. Next up is a trip to Croatia on Tuesday 6 October, with second-placed England keeping the pressure on.