2023 UEFA Nations League final
The 2023 UEFA Nations League final was a football match that determined the winners of the final tournament of the 2022–23 UEFA Nations League. It was the third final of the international football competition involving the men's national teams of the member associations of UEFA. The match was held on 18 June 2023 at De Kuip in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and was contested by Croatia and Spain.[6]
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| Event | 2023 UEFA Nations League Finals | ||||||
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| After extra time Spain won 5–4 on penalties | |||||||
| Date | 18 June 2023 | ||||||
| Venue | De Kuip, Rotterdam | ||||||
| Man of the Match | Marcelo Brozović (Croatia)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Felix Zwayer (Germany)[2] | ||||||
| Attendance | 41,110[3] | ||||||
| Weather | Partly cloudy night 25 °C (77 °F) 69% humidity[4][5] | ||||||
Spain won the match 5–4 on penalties following a 0–0 draw after extra time for their first UEFA Nations League title.[1]
Venue
De Kuip was chosen by the Royal Dutch Football Association as one of the two venues for the Nations League Finals, along with De Grolsch Veste. Amsterdam's Johan Cruyff Arena, which is the largest stadium in the Netherlands, was unavailable because of a concert.[7] Consequently, De Kuip, the second-largest stadium in the country, was selected to host the first semi-final, featuring the Dutch team, as well as the final.[6]
De Kuip (Dutch for "the Tub"), officially known as the Stadion Feijenoord, is situated in the Feijenoord district of Rotterdam. The stadium, characterised by its distinctive bowl-shaped design, has a seating capacity of 51,117 and is the home of Eredivisie club Feyenoord.[8] Construction began on the stadium in 1935, and it opened in March 1937. The stadium underwent extensive renovations in 1994, becoming an all-seater, with an extended roof to cover all seats. The venue hosts select matches of the Netherlands national team, and has also been the site of the KNVB Cup final since 1989.[9] De Kuip has hosted numerous UEFA club finals, including two in the European Cup (1972 and 1982), six in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1963, 1968, 1974, 1985, 1991 and 1997) and two in the UEFA Cup (the 1974 second leg and 2002). In addition, it was one of the venues for UEFA Euro 2000, hosting five matches, including the final between France and Italy. The stadium is also has been used as a concert venue since 1978.[10]
Route to the final
Note: In all results below, the score of the finalist is given first (H: home; A: away).
| Croatia | Round | Spain | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Opponents | Result | League phase | Opponents | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||
 Austria |
0–3 (H) | Match 1 |  Portugal |
1–1 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||
 France |
1–1 (H) | Match 2 |  Czech Republic |
2–2 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||
 Denmark |
1–0 (A) | Match 3 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Switzerland |
1–0 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| France |
1–0 (A) | Match 4 | Czech Republic |
2–0 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Denmark |
2–1 (H) | Match 5 | Switzerland |
1–2 (H) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Austria |
3–1 (A) | Match 6 | Portugal |
1–0 (A) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Group A1 winner | Final standings | Group A2 winner
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| Opponents | Result | Nations League Finals | Opponents | Result | ||||||||||||||||||||
 Netherlands |
4–2 (a.e.t.) | Semi-finals |  Italy |
2–1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Match
Summary
In the 84th minute Spain's Ansu Fati had a shot cleared off the line by Ivan Perišić. After a goalless match the game went to extra-time and finally to penalties. The first six penalties were all scored before Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón saved with his foot from Lovro Majer.[11] Both teams scored another penalty before Aymeric Laporte had the chance to win the game but hit his shot off the bar. Simón then saved down to his right from Bruno Petković with Dani Carvajal going on to win it for Spain by chipping into the net for a 5–4 win.[12]
Details
         Croatia[4]
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     Spain[4]
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Man of the Match:
Assistant referees:[2]
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Match rules[13]
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Statistics
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Notes
- Each team was given only three opportunities to make substitutions, with a fourth opportunity in extra time, excluding substitutions made at half-time, before the start of extra time and at half-time in extra time.
References
- Pettit, Mark (18 June 2023). "Spain win Nations League: Croatia edged out on penalties". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- "Patience pays off for Rotterdam referee Zwayer". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 16 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
- "Croatia vs. Spain" (JSON). Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- "Tactical Line-ups – Final – Croatia v Spain" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- "Croatia v Spain: Match info | UEFA Nations League 2023 Final". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
- "UEFA Nations League final four: Who is in it? When is it? Where does it take place?". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 25 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- Vlietstra, Bart (28 September 2022). "Nations League mag handen dichtknijpen met Nederland, Spanje, Italië en Kroatië in finaleronde" [Nations League can squeeze hands with the Netherlands, Spain, Italy and Croatia in the final round]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- "Stadium Feijenoord". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 27 January 2023. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- "Ajax and Feyenoord to play two legs in Dutch Cup final". The Guardian. Associated Press. 15 April 2010. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- "Feijenoord – historie". vasf.nl. Archived from the original on 16 May 2007.
- "Croatia 0 Spain 0 (4–5 on pens): As it happened". Guardian. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- "Croatia 0 Spain 0 (4–5 on pens)". BBC Sport. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
- "Regulations of the UEFA Nations League, 2022/23". UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 22 September 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- "Full Time Report – Final – Croatia v Spain" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 18 June 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.