On June 19, 2023, the final of the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League took place between Croatia and Spain. In an intense penalty shootout, Spain emerged victorious with a 5-4 score, securing their first-ever UEFA Nations League title.
This was Spain's second consecutive appearance in the UEFA Nations League final. In 2021, they faced defeat against France, but this year, they triumphed over Croatia to claim the championship.
With this victory, Spain added a fifth major international trophy to their collection, which includes one FIFA World Cup, three UEFA European Championships, and now one UEFA Nations League title.
The UEFA Nations League was introduced in 2018 as a competition organized by UEFA to replace friendly matches between European national teams. It is held every two years, aiming to ensure the competitiveness of national team games.
After Spain's unprecedented success in winning the 2008 UEFA European Championship, the 2010 FIFA World Cup, and the 2012 UEFA European Championship, the team experienced a decline and has struggled to regain its dominance.
Winning the UEFA Nations League would help Spain put an end to their championship drought, which has persisted for over a decade.
For Croatia, their best result in a major tournament came in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where they finished as runners-up.
In the inaugural edition of the UEFA Nations League (2018-19 season) that followed the World Cup, Croatia found themselves in Group D alongside England and Spain, finishing at the bottom of the group.
In the second edition (2020-21 season) of the UEFA Nations League, Croatia was placed in Group C alongside France, Portugal, and Sweden, ultimately finishing third in the group.
In the third edition of the UEFA Nations League, Croatia secured their spot in the knockout stage for the first time, topping Group A ahead of Denmark and France. In the semi-finals, Croatia defeated the Netherlands 4-2 in extra time.
Spain's first appearance in the UEFA Nations League didn't see them progress to the knockout stage. However, in the second edition, they advanced to the knockout stage, surpassing Germany and Switzerland.
They defeated Italy 2-1 in the semi-finals but lost 1-2 to France in the final, settling for the runners-up position.
Now, with back-to-back appearances in the UEFA Nations League final, Spain's performance in the tournament has been highly anticipated.
Throughout the match, both teams had opportunities in attack and defense but failed to create clear scoring chances. In the 23rd minute, Kramarić found himself with a one-on-one opportunity, but Laporte's crucial tackle denied him.
After 90 minutes of regular time, the score remained 0-0, leading to extra time. In the 99th minute, Mayoral's solo run into the penalty area was thwarted by a tackle from behind by Nacho.
With no goals scored in extra time, the match proceeded to a dramatic penalty shootout.
Finally, Koke sealed Spain's victory with a successful penalty.
