Vamos Spain! Dani Carvajal cherishes Nations League title; WATCH Panenka penalty that ended 10-year long wait

Spain defeated Croatia 5-4 in a penalty shootout to win the Nations League title in Rotterdam, with veteran winner Dani Carvajal converting the game-changing spot-kick to give Spain their first championship in more than a decade. Spain's sixth attempt in the shootout was neatly chipped in, Panenka penalty style, by the 31-year-old, who has five Champions League crowns with Real Madrid. Spain therefore won their first trophy since the 2012 European Championship.

A hopeful Croatia, who finished third in Qatar last year and second in the 2018 World Cup but has yet to win a championship, was crushed when they lost on penalties in the Feyenoord Stadium final after it went scoreless after extra time.

Aymeric Laporte had an opportunity to win the match after Spain's Unai Simon first stopped Lovro Majer in the shootout, but the defender blasted his attempt against the crossbar, leaving it 4-4 after five kicks apiece.

Before Carvajal sealed the victory, Simon made another outstanding stop, this time from Bruno Petkovic. “It was a very tight match, we knew we weren’t going to win easily,” said Simon.

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Spain finished second in the Nations League to France two years ago, and this year's victory will be welcomed following a poor World Cup in Qatar, where they were beaten by Morocco in the round of 16.

After taking control away from Croatia in the 12th minute, Spain should have taken the lead, but Gavi missed the target with his effort.

In the 23rd minute, Andrej Kramaric had a chance to break away after Spain's high defensive line was caught off guard by a long ball from deep within Croatia's half, but Laporte chased back and made an outstanding challenge.

Ivan Perisic of Croatia made progress down the left wing in the second half and offered an appealing cross that Mario Pasalic missed, and Josip Juranovic promptly followed with a reckless shot just wide of the goal.

Ansu Fati, a Spanish substitute, gave the team more vigour after entering the game. In the 84th minute, Rodri set him up for a close-range shot, but Perisic was on the line to block it with goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic beat.

In extra time, Spain's Nacho made another goal-saving challenge to stop Majer, while at the other end, Dani Olmo shot over the crossbar from inside the opponent's penalty area.

Dani Olmo's subsequent opportunity and Rodri's slightly missed effort during the final 20 minutes of the two-hour match helped Spain to a solid conclusion.

Following the win, Carvajal took to Instagram to celebrate the nation's first international glory in more than a decade. "We are champions. Vamos Spain," wrote the Real Madrid legend. Fans applauded the icon's 'Panenka penalty' that sealed the victory against Croatia. "Ice in the veins," wrote one fan on Instagram, while another added, "Congratulations Dani. Spain is the best team in the world."

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Daniel Carvajal (@dani.carvajal.2)

Italy defeated the Netherlands 3-2 in the third-place play-off earlier on Sunday in Enschede.

Federico Dimarco and Davide Frattesi gave Roberto Mancini's team a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes as they continued their strong performance to earn bronze in the Nations League for the second consecutive tournament.

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Midway through the second half, Steven Bergwijn cut the lead for the Netherlands, but four minutes later, Federico Chiesa scored Italy's third goal.

In the 89th minute, Georginio Wijnaldum scored the second goal for the Netherlands, setting up a tense finish. However, it was not enough to stop Ronald Koeman's team from suffering their third loss in as many games.