Nations League: Yamal helps Spain extend unbeaten streak, Gordon and Kane lead England

Lamine Yamal led World Cup winner Spain on Tuesday as it defeated Croatia in the Nations League to add to its record unbeaten streak, while England rebounded from its opening loss to the world champions with a victory over 10-man Czechia.

Yamal scored twice and set up another goal as Spain beat Croatia 4-1 at home to reach 40 games unbeaten.

England needed second-half goals by Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane to defeat the Czechs 2-0, with the hosts playing a man down from the 25th after Pavel Sulc was shown a red card.

Spain got past Croatia in its second game since beating Argentina in the World Cup final, with Yamal scoring two minutes into the match and again in the 63rd.

Marc Pubill also scored, finding the net in the 31st for his first goal with Spain, two minutes after Dion Drena Beljo had equalized for the visitors, also with his first international goal. Substitute Nico Williams sealed the Spain victory in the 89th.

Yamal, who also found the net against England, gave the assist for Pubill's goal. He has scored 11 goals in his last eight matches for country and club Barcelona.

“He is a very generous footballer who puts all that talent at the service of the team," Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said. "We are fortunate to have him with us. He is someone who is truly loved within the squad. We are very happy with him.”

La Roja had extended its unbeaten streak to 39 games by rallying to a 3-2 win over England at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Spain has lost only one of its last 16 Nations League group matches, winning seven straight.

“We know Spain are the best. There is no debate about that," Croatia coach Slaven Bilic said. "We knew that before kickoff. They have been the best side for several years. Against England, we did not see them play quite like this, but tonight there was simply too much space.”

Spain leads Group A3 with six points, three more than both England and Croatia.

Croatia won 2-1 at Czechia, formerly known as the Czech Republic, on Saturday, with veteran midfielder Luka Modric scoring his nation’s opening goal. Modric started on the bench against Spain on Tuesday, entering the match in the 81st.

Spain will still host Czechia on Saturday and visit Croatia next Tuesday.

England played with an extra man for most of the match and needed goals by Gordon in the 47th and Kane in the 69th to win its first match in the Nations League this season.

Sulc was sent off for a foul in the first half, with video review changing a yellow card into a red.

“We played very professionally in the second half," England coach Thomas Tuchel said. “We stepped up, we needed to be a bit more dynamic and bring a bit more urgency into our play, which we did, but we kept the intensity going, and the effort was still there. We deserved victory. We got an important win, and that’s what counts.”

In the lower-tiered League B, Switzerland won 3-0 at Scotland, which played a man down from the 11th after a red card to Jack Hendry. It was Sebastian Pocognoli's first home game as Scotland's coach.

Slovenia beat visiting North Macedonia 2-0.

In League C, host Moldova and Faroe Islands drew 1-1, while Finland and Belarus played to a scoreless draw in Helsinki.

See AP’s full soccer coverage here

England's Harry Kane celebrates after scoring second goal during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Czechia and England in Prague, Czechia, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Spain's Nico Williams scores their fourth goal during the Nations League soccer match between Spain and Croatia in Seville, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

In this photo taken with slow shutter speed Spain's Lamine Yamal is in action during the Nations League soccer match between Spain and Croatia in Seville, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

In this photo taken with slow shutter speed Spain's Lamine Yamal is in action during the Nations League soccer match between Spain and Croatia in Seville, Spain, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

England's Anthony Gordon celebrates after scoring first goal during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Czechia and England in Prague, Czechia, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the UEFA Nations League soccer match against England in London, Saturday Sept, 26, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA via AP)

England's Anthony Gordon celebrates after scoring firts goal during the UEFA Nations League soccer match between Czechia and England in Prague, Czechia, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

Spain's Lamine Yamal celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the Nations League Soccer match between England and Spain in London, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)

PLYMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Lindsay Clancy's lawyer argued Tuesday that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove she killed her three children, a striking turn after a lengthy trial that focused more on her mental state than on whether she took their lives.

“This entire case is based on speculation,” attorney Kevin Reddington said during the first hearing since Clancy's trial ended Sept. 4 with a deadlocked jury. They were split 11 to 1 in her favor.

During that trial, Reddington didn't dispute that Clancy killed the children at the family's home in 2023. Instead, the defense sought to persuade the jury that the 36-year-old former labor and delivery nurse was not criminally responsible because of mental disease, a rare condition called postpartum psychosis.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story includes discussion of suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the national suicide and crisis lifeline in the U.S. is available by calling or texting 988.

But at Tuesday's hearing, Reddington sought to persuade Judge William Sullivan — the same judge who presided over the first trial — to acquit Clancy.

There is, Reddington contended, not enough evidence “that this woman killed those children.” He pointed to matters ranging from her condition when she was found badly injured and bleeding in the yard outside her home, to her lack of memory of what happened when she woke up in a hospital. At the first trial, her now ex-husband and first responders testified that they arrived at the house and discovered she had tried to kill herself right after killing the children.

“Where is the admission? Where does she say that she did this?” Reddington said, going on to recap his arguments that she also was psychotic and delusional at the time of the children's deaths. He didn’t offer alternative theories or evidence about who might be responsible.

Prosecutor Shanan Buckingham called his argument “laughable.”

At the trial, jurors heard testimony that Clancy said she heard voices instructing her to kill her children. Her DNA was found on exercise bands used to strangle them. Before the trial, Reddington himself filed a motion in which he said Clancy was willing to stipulate, in writing, to her involvement in the children’s deaths.

“For the first time, the defendant is arguing that there is no evidence she did this,” Buckingham told the judge. “I’d suggest to you the entire record is voluminous as to information supporting the fact that she did this.”

The judge didn’t immediately rule and no trial date was set.

The prosecution maintains that Clancy knew her actions were wrong when she used exercise bands to strangle 5-year-old Cora, 3-year-old Dawson and 8-month-old Callan Clancy. They said she contrived to get her husband out of the house that evening by sending him to pick up medicine for one of their children and dinner for the family.

Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to retry Clancy, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz said after the hearing. They could choose to retry her on first-degree murder charges or pursue lesser charges, including second-degree murder or manslaughter, or drop the case entirely.

“We are going to do what we can for the children,” Cruz told reporters outside court. “That is what this case is about.”

Clancy's attorneys have asked the judge to dismiss the criminal case. Among other things, they have argued that the judge should have ousted the one juror who favored a murder conviction after the jury foreperson complained he was refusing to listen to the law on reasonable doubt.

The juror, Michael Desronvil, has said through his lawyer that he had no doubts about his stance. Desronvil told Fox News’ “Hannity” in a brief video statement Monday that “the whole focus has been on me, but we want to reel everything back and put the focus on the three angels,” meaning the children.

The livestreamed trial generated intense public interest and drew attention to maternal mental health after childbirth. About a dozen Clancy supporters, most dressed in pink, stood outside court Tuesday waiting for her.

Clancy remains charged with murder and is expected to stay at a psychiatric hospital until her case is resolved.

She could have been sentenced to life in prison if convicted of murder. If acquitted, the judge could have ordered her confined to a mental health facility.

Peltz reported from New York.

Lindsay Clancy's father Michael Musgrove listens to the motions hearing in his daughter's triple murder trial, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, at Plymouth Superior Court in Plymouth, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)

Judge William Sullivan listens to an argument by Kevin Reddington on a motion to dismiss the case as the Lindsay Clancy murder trial continues, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, during a hearing set to determine the next steps after a mistrial was declared on Sept. 4th, in Plymouth, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)

Attorney Kevin Reddington listens during a hearing set to determine the next steps after a mistrial was declared on Sept. 4th, in Plymouth, Mass. on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)

Lindsay Clancy sits in Plymouth Superior Court, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, during a hearing set to determine the next steps after a mistrial was declared on Sept. 4th, in Plymouth, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)

Defendant Lindsay Clancy listens to a motion in court while seated next to her attorney Kevin Reddington, Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, during a hearing set to determine the next steps after a mistrial was declared on Sept. 4th, in Plymouth, Mass. (Greg Derr/The Patriot Ledger via AP, Pool)