Spain defeated the Czech Republic 2-0 in Prague, maintaining its perfect record in the UEFA Nations League.
Luis de la Fuente’s side had to work for the victory at the Epet Arena against a Czech squad that finished with ten men, El Correo reported.
Goals from Álex Baena in the first half and Marc Pubill in stoppage time secured the three points for the visitors.
The result extended Spain’s unbeaten run to 43 matches and kept the squad atop the group standings with 15 points from five fixtures.
La Roja traveled to the Czech capital without five regular starters, missing Lamine Yamal, Rodri, Mikel Oyarzabal, Dani Olmo, and Aymeric Laporte.
The team struggled to find rhythm during a quiet opening half played in freezing conditions.
Spain dominated possession while wearing white shirts, but lacked the necessary speed and high press to break down the disciplined home defense.
Fermín López provided the spark, moving between the lines to help his team gain territory and pin the hosts back.
Marc Cucurella sent a long-range shot just over the crossbar, and Dean Huijsen forced a save from goalkeeper Matěj Kovář with a header following a corner kick.
The opening breakthrough arrived in the 38th minute after a video review.
Referee Nikola Dabanović was advised to check for a handball by Tomáš Ambros inside the penalty area.
Baena stepped up to take the resulting spot-kick and drove a powerful shot past Kovář.
“Baena asumió la responsabilidad y no desaprovechó la oportunidad,” said the match account reported by El Correo.
Fabián Ruiz nearly doubled the advantage before halftime when his right-footed shot from the edge of the box struck the goalpost.
Early in the second half, the video assistant referee disallowed a goal by Yeremy Pino for a narrow offside following a long pass from goalkeeper Unai Simón.
The Czech Republic responded with sustained pressure, testing the Spanish defense on set pieces.
Lukáš Provod fired a deflected shot that missed the post by inches, and Ladislav Krejčí headed wide from close range.
De la Fuente responded by introducing Mikel Merino and Roberto to add height and combat the aerial threat.
Krejčí later caught Roberto on a breakaway, prompting referee Dabanović to review the monitor and issue a straight red card to the Czech captain in the second half.
With the hosts reduced to ten men, Spain controlled possession to run down the clock.
Pubill sealed the victory in the sixth minute of stoppage time by reacting to a rebound and beating Kovář with a clean strike.
The 2-0 victory leaves Spain with 15 points from five matches in the Nations League group stage.
La Roja will face England at the Metropolitano Stadium in their final fixture of 2026.
A draw against England will be enough for Spain to secure first place in the group.
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