Arsenal star nets late brace as Spain win 2-1 in Croatia

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Mikel Merino scored twice in the final half-hour to turn a losing position into a Spain victory as the reigning European champions beat Croatia 2-1 at Stadion Poljud on Tuesday night.

The Arsenal midfielder levelled in the 61st minute with a composed header from a Pedri corner, before heading home again in the 89th — once more from a Pedri delivery — to settle a contest Croatia had led from the opening period.

Ivan Perisic had put the hosts in front and, at 36, looked every bit the difference-maker until a second yellow card in the 79th minute reduced Croatia to ten men. Spain, who had been made to work far harder than in their 4-1 win over the same opponents in Seville seven days earlier, took full advantage of the extra man in the closing stages.

Merino continues his goalscoring habit

The brace is the latest instalment of a pattern Arsenal supporters know well. Signed from Real Sociedad as a midfielder, Merino has spent large parts of his Arsenal career being asked to do jobs that are not strictly his own — including a spell leading the line — and has repeatedly answered with goals, many of them from set-piece situations exactly like the two he converted in Split.

Both goals arrived from Pedri deliveries, a reminder of the aerial threat Merino carries into the box from midfield. Croatia defended with the collective resilience that has defined them for a decade, and goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic produced an outstanding late save to deny Lamine Yamal in the 86th minute, but they had no answer to Spain's final set-piece of the night.

Sportsdunia handed Merino a match-high rating of 8.9 and named him their Man of the Match, with Aymeric Laporte and Pedri next best on 8.0 apiece. Luka Modric topped the Croatia ratings on 6.8.

Zubimendi also features for La Roja

Merino was not the only Arsenal representative on the pitch. Martin Zubimendi was also involved for Luis de la Fuente's side, picking up a 7.0 rating as Spain reorganised in the second half and pushed for the equaliser and winner.

For Arsenal, the headline is straightforward enough: two of the club's midfielders came through a competitive away fixture, with one of them producing the decisive contribution. Spain head into the final two Nations League matchdays as the competition's front-runners after a comeback win on the road.

Attention now turns to how Mikel Arteta manages the returning internationals once the break concludes and the domestic schedule resumes.