Spain cruised to a comprehensive 3-1 win over the Czech Republic on Saturday evening at the Carlos Tartiere stadium in Oviedo, in the third round of fixtures in the UEFA Nations League.
Lamine Yamal struck first. The Barcelona winger collected the ball on the edge of the penalty area in the 5th minute, skipped past a defender and curled a magnificent left-footed effort towards the far post, beyond the reach of goalkeeper Kinsky. It kept up a habit of his: he's now scored Spain's opening goal in three consecutive matches.
Rodri doubled the lead before the half-hour. Pedri burst into the box and the ball dropped to the midfielder after the Czech defence tried to clear, and Rodri lashed a powerful, precise strike into the net to hand Spain a comfortable cushion before the break.
At the start of the second half, Luis de la Fuente shuffled his pack. He rested Lamine Yamal and Alex Baena, introducing Victor Muñoz and Yeremy Pino, before Mikel Merino and Fermin Lopez replaced Pedri and Dani Olmo, keeping the rhythm going while handing minutes to fresh legs.
The Czech Republic pulled one back around the 70th minute. Jiri Slama found space inside the box and drilled a well-struck low shot towards the far post, beating David Raya and dragging the match back into the balance.
The hosts almost levelled it. Ryan Nadri pounced on a Raya error and slotted home, only for the referee to chalk it off for a foul on Robin Le Normand, leaving Spain in front.
Then came another blow for the visitors. Ladislav Krejci picked up a second yellow and walked for a trip on a Spanish attack. Mikel Merino settled it in the dying moments, pouncing on the rebound after Kinsky parried a Victor Muñoz effort and tucking away the third to seal La Roja's 3-1 victory.
Spain's perfect start rolls on. It's a third straight win after seeing off England and Croatia, while the Czech Republic are still waiting for their first point in the group.