Spain win 2023 Nations League, beating Croatia on penalties in Rotterdam
Spain beat Croatia on penalties in Rotterdam on 18 June 2023 to win the UEFA Nations League, their first trophy under Luis de la Fuente.
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Spain won the 2023 UEFA Nations League on 18 June 2023, beating Croatia in a penalty shootout in the final at De Kuip stadium in Rotterdam. The match finished goalless after extra time, and Spain prevailed in the shootout.
The trophy was Spain's first major title since Euro 2012 and the first of Luis de la Fuente's time as national coach. He had taken over from Luis Enrique after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Spain were knocked out by Morocco in the last 16. De Fuente had previously coached Spain's youth sides, winning the Under-21 European Championship in 2019, and brought several of those players into the senior squad.
Spain reached the final by beating Italy 2-1 in the semi-final, while Croatia eliminated the hosts, the Netherlands, after extra time. The victory gave De la Fuente's young side confidence and set the tone for the squad building that followed, including the later Euro 2024 triumph, and it remains the reference point for the selection decisions that followed.
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