World champions Spain continued their impressive run of form with a 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic in the UEFA Nations League, extending their winning streak to 12 matches.
Alex Baena opened the scoring in Prague in the 39th minute, converting a penalty after Czech midfielder Lukas Ambros was penalised for handball.
Crystal Palace forward Yeremy Pino thought he had increased Spain’s lead, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
The hosts came close to drawing level when Adam Hlozek’s header struck the crossbar, denying the Czech Republic an equaliser.
However, their hopes suffered a setback in the 69th minute when captain Ladislav Krejci was sent off for a professional foul on Roberto Fernandez. The Wolves defender was initially shown a yellow card, but the decision was upgraded to a red following a VAR review.
Spain eventually sealed the victory in stoppage time through Marc Pubill, who won possession near the edge of the penalty area before calmly slotting the ball into the net.
The result extended Spain’s unbeaten run across all competitions to 43 matches, with the defending champions having already secured qualification for the Nations League quarter-finals.
Spain will now host England in Sunday’s final group fixture, with both sides set to battle for top spot in the standings.
