Czechia 0–2 Spain: Baena penalty and Pubill's late goal extend perfect run

Spain made it five wins from five in UEFA Nations League Group A3 with a 2–0 victory over Czechia in Prague on Thursday, but the scoreline was only settled deep into added time. Álex Baena converted a first-half penalty, and substitute Marc Pubill scored in the 96th minute to put the result beyond doubt. Czechia finished with ten men after Ladislav Krejčí's red card in the 72nd minute. The victory strengthened Spain's position before Sunday's meeting with England, when first place in the group remains at stake.

Luis de la Fuente's side arrived without Lamine Yamal and Mikel Oyarzabal, two players who had occupied much of the pre-match discussion. The result was a demonstration that Spain's collective structure did not depend on those absentees. They found a way through a compact home defence, managed the lead and added a second despite periods when Czechia still threatened to make the closing stages uncomfortable. That progression, rather than the headline absence list, is the story of the match.

A penalty rewards pressure but does not settle the contest

Spain had to work to establish an opening at Letná. Czechia were organised in front of their own crowd, while De la Fuente's side moved the ball and searched for gaps in the defensive line. The first major breakthrough came when a handball by Lukáš Ambros led to a penalty decision following a VAR review. Baena stepped up and scored in the 39th minute, sending Spain into the interval 1–0 ahead. The advantage was deserved by the visitors' attacking initiative, but it remained a narrow one.

Spain threatened to stretch their lead even before half-time, with Fabián Ruiz hitting the woodwork, yet they were still vulnerable to the uncertainty that accompanies a one-goal margin. Shortly after the restart, Yeremy Pino put the ball in the net, but the effort was disallowed for offside. That incident captured the tension of Spain's performance: they were repeatedly finding promising situations without securing the decisive second goal.

Krejčí's dismissal and Pubill's late intervention

Czechia's task became significantly harder when Krejčí was sent off in the 72nd minute. Even so, the hosts refused to disappear from the match. Spain had to preserve concentration while the result remained 0–1, because an isolated counterattack or set piece could still have changed the outcome. The numerical advantage made control easier, but it did not immediately produce a second goal or eliminate every defensive question.

It took until the sixth minute of stoppage time for Spain to finish the job. Pubill, introduced in the second half, fought for possession near the edge of the area and converted to make it 0–2. A substitute scoring that late is a useful measure of the depth Spain are building: the starting XI created the foundations, and fresh personnel delivered the final decisive action. The match also illustrated why a late goal should not be confused with a goal that arrived after a comfortable evening; Spain had been protecting a single-goal lead for much of the second half.

The group picture and the decision still ahead

Spain now have 15 points from their first five Nations League fixtures, maintaining a perfect record in the group. England's 2–1 victory against Croatia on the same night means both teams are through to the quarter-finals, but the order at the top of Group A3 is not fixed. Spain host England on Sunday 15 November. The Prague win ensures they enter that encounter with the advantage; it does not make the match itself inconsequential.

For Czechia, the contest offered evidence that defensive resistance can slow an elite opponent, but also showed the limits of spending long periods without the ball. Conceding a penalty and then losing a defender to a red card made the challenge steeper. The hosts were competitive in patches; they could not create the sustained threat necessary to overturn Baena's opener.

The BetLogic reading of the result is straightforward: Spain retained control of a difficult away assignment without relying on their two headline absentees, and a late intervention from Pubill provided the cushion their earlier chances had not. De la Fuente will value the three points, the clean sheet and the patience under pressure. Against England, a more dangerous opponent, turning territorial control into a second goal earlier could become more important.