BERLIN, Germany -- Spain fans were outnumbered in Berlin and have generally been overlooked ahead of the start of Euro 2024, but on Saturday they produced a performance against Croatia that leaves them in a strong position in Group B as they target a fourth European Championship trophy. Whether they fully deserved to win 3-0 at the Olympic Stadium will be debated, but first-half goals from Alvaro Morata, Fabián Ruiz and Dani Carvajal sealed a victory that silenced the partisan atmosphere created by the roughly 50,000 Croatian fans among the 70,000 crowd.
Heading into the competition, there was an air of uncertainty about this Spain side and how the old and the new would gel together.