The stat line is the story: Lamine Yamal has now scored inside the first ten minutes of three consecutive men's international matches, something no player has done before. Against Czechia in Oviedo, he waited all the way until the sixth minute — practically restrained by his standards — before curling an exquisite finish into the top corner from the right side of the box. Spain coach Luis de la Fuente put his hands to his head. Spain's 3-1 Nations League win was comfortable, though not without a wobble. Rodri Hernandez doubled the lead at 35 minutes with a drilled top-corner finish, his first Spain goal in over two years. The former Manchester City midfielder's return to scoring feels like a tactical bonus for a side that already has too many weapons. He was blunt about it: "I'd not been scoring many goals; let's see if I've found that dynamic." Czechia refused to fold. Jiri Slama pulled one back with 20 minutes remaining — an excellent low finish across David Raya after Adam Hlozek played him in — and Arsenal keeper Raya nearly gifted them an equalizer with a misplaced pass while out of his goal. A Ryan Naderi effort was disallowed for a foul on Robin Le Normand, and for a stretch the visitors genuinely threatened. The game turned decisively when Ladislav Krejci collected a second yellow for pulling back debutant striker Roberto Fernandez. Down to ten, Czechia's resistance collapsed, and Mikel Merino wrapped up the result late. Spain now lead Group A3 by three points over England, who demolished Croatia 7-0 in Rijeka earlier Saturday. De la Fuente wisely withdrew Yamal at halftime — managing the teenager's minutes ahead of Tuesday's trip to Croatia. The coach's postgame comments landed somewhere between awe and exasperation: "I think he never stops surprising us. He has so much talent that we still haven't seen the best version of Lamine by a long shot." Twelve goals in his last nine games for club and country suggest the best version, whenever it arrives, will be unreasonable. Spain's 41-game unbeaten streak, stretching through a World Cup final win over Argentina in July, is the kind of run that makes people forget how unusual it is. This squad does not rely on one system or one player. Yamal is the headline, but Rodri's midfield control, Merino's late contributions, and De la Fuente's willingness to rotate (Ivan Fresneda and Roberto Fernandez both debuted) point to institutional depth rather than individual brilliance alone. The Ballon d'Or conversation is real. Yamal is a leading candidate, and performances like this — early goals, impossible technique, big-stage composure at 19 — are the kind of evidence voters remember. Whether the award comes this year or next, the trajectory is not in question. The question is how high the ceiling actually sits.
