Yamal strikes early as Merino delivers late for Spain

Lamine Yamal strikes early and Mikel Merino arrives late: Spain has two specialists capable of troubling opponents at either end of a match. Yamal opened the scoring in the 3-1 win over the Czech Republic, putting his team 1-0 ahead. Merino, meanwhile, scored the 2-1 winner in the 2-1 victory over Germany.

Yamal’s fast starts extend beyond that match. Five of the eleven goals he has scored for Spain came in the opening ten minutes. In this Nations League, he has also opened the scoring against England, Croatia and the Czech Republic. Overall, six of his eleven goals for the national side have been Spain’s first of the match.

Merino represents the other side of that threat. At the World Cup, he helped Spain reach the quarter-finals with a stoppage-time goal against Portugal, then scored in the 88th minute against Belgium to send his team into the semi-finals. Spain can therefore draw on players able to change a game both from its opening stages and in its closing moments.