With ease, Spain defeats Serbia 3-0 to go to the Nations League knockout stage.

Thanks to goals from Aymeric Laporte, Alvaro Morata, and Alex Baena on Tuesday, European champions Spain defeated Serbia 3-0 at home to secure their spot in the Nations League quarterfinals.

With two games remaining, Spain leads League A Group Four with 10 points, three ahead of Denmark and six ahead of Serbia. Switzerland is bottom on one point following a 2-2 home tie with the Danes. With two games remaining, Spain has assured at least a second-place finish.

Spain defeated Serbia with 30 shots to three for the visitors, despite having numerous players missing from the squad who defeated England 2-1 in the July Euro 2024 final.

After missing a penalty in the 54th minute, Morata doubled Spain’s advantage with a drive from just inside the box after 65 minutes. Defender Laporte had given the Spanish team the lead with a close-range header in the fifth.

After a last-man foul on Mikel Oyarzabal on the edge of the box in the 78th minute, Strahinja Pavlovic of Serbia was awarded a straight red card, and Baena finished an easy win for Spain with a wonderful free into the top corner.

Captain Morata said to Spanish public television network TVE, “We are in another final stage of a major tournament and that is something to be proud of.”

“We always seem to be in the end, so it looks simple, but that’s not always the case, so we need to recognize its uniqueness and give it the respect it deserves.

“Although we missed our injured stars, we must focus on the fact that young players are coming up. Since what we have produced is unique, we must continue moving forward. Spain’s future is very bright.

Following their 1-0 victory over Denmark on Saturday, which was also without Dani Carvajal and Rodri because of significant knee injuries, as well as without important players Nico Williams, Dani Olmo, and Robin Le Normand, Luis de la Fuente’s team played Serbia without their young wonder Lamine Yamal, who sustained an injury against the Danes.

Despite their diminished strength, his squad managed to defeat Serbia with ease and earn a third straight Group A4 victory, securing a top-two finish and becoming the second team, behind Germany, to qualify for the quarterfinals.