Croatia 0-0 Spain - Spain win 5-4 on penalties

Penalty heartbreak for Croatia as Spain claim the Nations League crown

Carvajal slots home decisive spot-kick as Spain emerge victorious in Rotterdam

Spain have won the UEFA Nations League after beating Croatia 5-4 on penalties following a goalless draw on Sunday evening. The match went all the way to a shoot-out after neither side could find a breakthrough in regulation time. Alvaro Morata, Carlos Soler, Sergio Busquets, Marco Asensio and Dani Carvajal all scored their penalties for Spain, while Nikola Vlasic, Mislav Orsic, Luka Modric and Lovro Majer converted their spot-kicks for Croatia. However, Dominik Livakovic's penalty miss proved to be costly for Croatia, as Carvajal stepped up and coolly slotted home the winning penalty to secure Spain's first Nations League title.

Spain had the better of the chances in the first half, with Ferran Torres going close on two occasions and Gavi hitting the crossbar. Croatia grew into the game in the second half, but they were unable to find a way past a resolute Spanish defense. The match went into extra-time, but neither side could break the deadlock, and so it went to the dreaded penalty shootout.

Spain's victory is their first major international title since they won the 2012 European Championship. It is also the first time that they have won the Nations League, which was first played in 2018. Croatia will be disappointed to have lost the final, but they can take pride in their performance in the tournament, which saw them beat the likes of France and England.

This victory will give Spain a huge boost ahead of the 2022 World Cup, and they will now be considered one of the favorites to win the tournament. Croatia will also be hoping to make an impact in Qatar, and they will be confident of reaching the latter stages of the competition.