The Nations League inaugural runners-up knew the importance of a positive start on home soil.
It was Spain, however, who opened the scoring inside 10 minutes when a piece of poor defending from Jorrel Hato allowed Lamine Yamal and Pedri to combine, with the latter feeding Nico Williams for a clinical close-range finish.
La Roja nearly doubled their lead shortly afterwards, only for Alvaro Morata to direct a good headed chance wide of the target.
Evidently keen to better their fourth-place finish of 2023, the hosts drew level after getting that reprieve, when Justin Kluivert’s lay-off was brilliantly swept into the bottom corner by Cody Gakpo in the 28th minute.
Armed with the momentum before half-time, Ronald Koeman’s men went in pursuit of a quickfire second and were unfortunate not to go into the break ahead, when Tijjani Reijnders volleyed agonisingly against the bar from the edge of the box.
Not to be denied, the Oranje deservedly took the lead within 40 seconds of the restart, as Jeremie Frimpong’s low delivery was dispatched first time into the far corner by Reijnders.
The one-way traffic showed no signs of slowing down as the hour mark loomed, with Kluivert and Gakpo going close in quick succession.
Having dominated proceedings in the second half, the hosts looked to be heading to a well-deserved victory. However, their task was made all the more difficult with nine minutes remaining when Hato was shown a straight red card for an ugly lunge on Robin Le Normand.
That moment of madness from the youngster handed Spain the numerical advantage in the closing stages, and it ultimately proved consequential, with substitute Merino converting a rebound from eight yards to extend La Roja’s incredible recent record to just one defeat in their last 26 internationals (W22, D3).
Flashscore Man of the Match: Jeremie Frimpong (Netherlands)