'They surprise even me!' – Luis de la Fuente makes honest admission after Spain fight back

Spain manager Luis de la Fuente admitted his players continue to exceed his high expectations after recovering from a 1-0 deficit to beat Croatia 2-1. Despite trailing to an early Ivan Perisic header, Spain dominated the second half at Stadion Poljud to secure their 43rd consecutive match without defeat.

De la Fuente praised his team's composure inside a intimidating atmosphere in Split.

"They are fantastic footballers and they never stop fighting," de la Fuente told Teledeporte. "They surprise even me sometimes — I will be the first to admit that."

The Spanish head coach explained that patience was vital to wearing down a aggressive Croatian defensive unit. "This is exactly the kind of game we expected. Croatia are a great side with a lot of prestige," de la Fuente noted.

"We had to stick with them and wear them down. In the second half we controlled things, although they still created a couple of dangerous moments on the counter, which is normal."

"In an atmosphere like the one you have just seen, we managed to rise above it. It is a win of enormous merit."

De la Fuente reserved special praise for half-time substitute Mikel Merino, whose two goals sealed the victory. "Mikel Merino is one of the best in the world in his position. He has got the quality to play for any team, and of course he can play in any game," the manager stated.

"He understands these moments in a match so well. He has got that gift for goals, and important ones too."

"We really appreciate the attitude he always brings."

The victory confirmed Spain's place in the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League quarter-finals with games to spare. De la Fuente expressed supreme confidence in his group's ability to maintain their world-champion standards.

"I was convinced we were going to turn the match around," de la Fuente concluded.

Spain will look to extend their 43-match unbeaten run during December's international window.