Spain booked their place in the Nations League quarter-finals by coming from behind to beat Croatia 2-1 in Split, while Unai Simon and Aymeric Laporte completed the full 270 minutes set as an approximate workload limit by Luis de la Fuente.
Both players started and played all four of Spain’s matches during the international window, taking their totals to exactly 270 minutes. Defenders Pubill, Pau Cubarsi and Marc Cucurella also reached that figure, while Lamine Yamal finished with 282 minutes.
The numbers highlight the extent to which De la Fuente relied on Spain’s established defensive core during the four-game period. Simon and Laporte remain important figures for La Roja, alongside other options including Dean Huijsen and Cucurella.
Reaching the 270-minute threshold does not determine either player’s role in the next selection, but their workloads will be an immediate consideration as Spain move from qualification towards the knockout stage.
Merino completes Spain comeback
Spain were forced to recover after Ivan Perisic gave Croatia the lead. Mikel Merino then came off the bench to score twice, with his second goal arriving in the 88th minute to complete the turnaround and secure the victory.
Simon kept Spain in the contest with important saves to deny Igor Matanovic and Perisic before Merino’s goals settled the match. Laporte had also started against England and Czechia during the window, including the match at Wembley.
In Split, Mundo Deportivo specifically highlighted Laporte’s defensive work and distribution as Spain gradually took control of the game.
The result extended Spain’s unbeaten run to 42 matches, according to the primary report. It followed their victory over Czechia and completed a four-match window in which Spain won every game, collecting 12 points.
Group position and player workload still to be decided
Although Spain have secured qualification for the quarter-finals, their final position in the group remains undecided. The remaining group fixtures will determine whether they finish first.
That leaves De la Fuente with a decision to make over how best to balance competitiveness with the management of players who have already played significant minutes. The issue is especially relevant to Simon and Laporte, who reached the stated limit alongside three other defenders.
Spain’s next selection decisions will indicate whether De la Fuente reduces the workload of those players or continues to depend on the same core before the quarter-finals. Their selection will also come amid wider discussion about player workload and the number of minutes accumulated during the season.
