Is Merino working magic, or what? What kind of match did I just witness? My poor world champions... The important thing is that Spain fought to the very end to keep Croatia from scoring a second goal, and they pulled it off successfully. An incredible performance by the Spanish defense: Pubill—a huge talent they’d kept under wraps; Cubarsí—a talent we already knew well; Laporte—a great defender who’s always alert; and Cucurella—who played a tactically brilliant game despite the Croatians booing him the whole time. A lot of people said Unai Simón didn't deserve the World Cup's best goalkeeper award simply because he didn't concede any goals during the tournament; I hope this match changed their minds. He made some amazing saves on shots everyone thought were going in (though Dani Olmo and Cubarsí sometimes looked more like goalkeepers than he did, lol). As a fan of Arsenal, Merino, and Zubi, I’m thrilled about Mikel’s two goals and Martín’s assist. Mikel’s touch was so spectacular that I actually jumped off the sofa (I swear I did). It wasn't Víctor's best game, but at least he gave us a funny moment when he slipped right after coming onto the pitch. I really missed this version of Pedri—the Pedri *Culés* know so well, "Pedri Potter." I feel bad about the 4.5 rating Livaković got, but that’s just how it goes; not every player I like is going to get the top score. To the people saying Perisic didn't deserve a red card... did we watch the same match? Obviously, none of the fouls he committed were straight-red offenses, but they were definitely yellow-card worthy—and if you pick up two... well, you know, you're heading home. He should have been more careful and avoided getting them in the first place (in the replay, he looks just like that meme full of symbols, don't you think?). A tough match to watch as a Spaniard, haha, but a good victory from la Roja always feels great. VIVA LA ROJA! ❤️💛 (no españa porque en la situacion en la que estamos ahora...)