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Merino nets brace as Spain come from behind to beat Croatia
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- Merino nets brace as Spain come from behind to beat Croatia
Merino nets brace as Spain come from behind to beat Croatia
Spain came from behind to beat Croatia 2-1 in the Nations League , with Mikel Merino scoring twice after coming off the bench at half-time.
Croatia, still reeling from Saturday's 7-0 defeat by England, made a strong response and deservedly took the lead in the 17th minute. Ivan Perisic headed in the rebound after Unai Simon saved Igor Matanovic 's initial effort.
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Spain improved after the break and levelled on 61 minutes. Dani Olmo collected the ball following a poor clearance before setting up Merino, who calmly swept a left-footed finish into the corner.
Croatia were reduced to 10 men when Perisic received a second yellow card for a foul on Marc Cucurella , giving Spain increased control in the closing stages.
The winner arrived two minutes from time as Martin Zubimendi found Merino, who fired an outstanding finish beyond Dominik Livakovic .
Spain remain top of Group A3 with four wins from four.
Incidents: The story of the match
Merino nets brace as Spain come from behind to beat Croatia
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Croácia Official Line-ups:
Dominik Livakovic, Luka Vuskovic, Josip Stanisic, Josip Sutalo, Josko Gvardiol, Kristijan Jakic, Nikola Vlasic, Mateo Kovacic, Luka Modrić, Igor Matanovic, Ivan Perisic
Merino nets brace as Spain come from behind to beat Croatia
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Espanha Official Line-ups:
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Unai Simón, Aymeric Laporte, Marc Pubill, Pau Cubarsí, Marc Cucurella, Rodri , Dani Olmo, Pedri González, Lamine Yamal, Mikel Oyarzabal, Álex Baena
1':
Merino nets brace as Spain come from behind to beat Croatia
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The match begins
Croatia leads 1-0 against Spain. Ivan Perisic scores for Croatia with a header from the center of the box into the bottom left corner.
17':
Merino nets brace as Spain come from behind to beat Croatia
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GOAL Croatia: Ivan Perisic (Croatia) scores!
Ivan Perisic scores goal number 1 in the competition (4 matches)
The match is now 1-1 as Mikel Merino scores for Spain with a left-footed shot from the center of the box into the bottom left corner, assisted by Dani Olmo.
61':
Merino nets brace as Spain come from behind to beat Croatia
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GOAL Spain: Mikel Merino (Spain) scores!
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Mikel Merino scores goal number 2 in the competition (4 matches)
79':
Merino nets brace as Spain come from behind to beat Croatia
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Red Card for Ivan Perisic (Croatia)
Ivan Perisic has now picked up 0 red in the competition (4 matches)
Spain takes the lead 2-1 as Mikel Merino scores with a left-footed shot from the center of the box into the bottom left corner, assisted by Martín Zubimendi.
88':
Merino nets brace as Spain come from behind to beat Croatia
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GOAL Spain: Mikel Merino (Spain) scores!
Mikel Merino scores goal number 3 in the competition (4 matches)
998':
Merino nets brace as Spain come from behind to beat Croatia
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The referee whistles for the end of the match
