SPLIT, Croatia :Spain fought back to beat Croatia 2-1 in Split on Tuesday and maintain their perfect record in Nations League Group A3, while Harry Kane scored twice as England defeated the Czech Republic 3-0 to stay second.
The victory extended Spain’s unbeaten run to 42 matches and guaranteed they will finish in the top two of the four-team group and advance to the quarter-finals.
England remain three points behind Spain and will reach the last four if they avoid an eight-goal defeat by Croatia in their next match at home.
Croatia had suffered a 7-0 defeat by England in Rijeka in their previous game, played in front of 6,000 children under the age of 14 because of a stadium ban imposed over persistent racist behaviour by fans.
The atmosphere was very different in Split as Croatia produced a spirited display and took the lead after 17 minutes.
Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon saved Igor Matanovic’s low shot but could only parry the ball into the air, allowing Ivan Perisic, a former Tottenham team mate of Kane, to head home.
Spain dominated possession but Croatia created the better chances before the visitors levelled in the 61st minute. Dani Olmo collected a poor clearance and found Mikel Merino, who had time to pick his spot and finish.
Perisic was booked shortly after scoring for an aggressive challenge and was sent off in the 79th minute after receiving a second yellow for pushing Marc Cucurella.
Merino completed the comeback with a minute of normal time remaining, turning inside the box before firing into the net.
Kane makes history
England’s win in Prague was powered by Kane, who marked his 125th international appearance by equalling former goalkeeper Peter Shilton’s England appearance record.
The 33-year-old also took his national scoring record to 91 goals with his double, having scored once against the Czech Republic and twice against Croatia in England’s previous three victories.
Vladimir Coufal put England ahead in the 27th minute when he turned an England cross into his own net before Kane doubled the lead with a close-range finish after a swift attack five minutes before halftime.
Kane hit the crossbar early in the second half before heading home a corner in the 57th minute to complete his double.
“Perfect night for me personally and also for the team,” Kane told ITV. “An extremely proud evening.”
“You saw some fantastic football from us tonight. As a striker you’re just licking your lips and waiting for your opportunities.”
In League B, Scotland took the lead through Ryan Christie in the 31st minute against Slovenia, but Aljosa Matko and Danijel Sturm scored after halftime to give the visitors a 2-1 victory.
Group leaders Switzerland secured a top-two finish with a 3-0 win over North Macedonia in Lucerne. Fabian Rieder put the hosts ahead before Johan Manzambi and Dan Ndoye added late goals.
