Spain secured a hard-fought 3–2 victory over England at Wembley Stadium in their UEFA Nations League clash, overturning a first-half deficit behind a pair of decisive second-half substitutions by head coach Luis de la Fuente. The reigning world and European champions weathered an aggressive English response before goals from substitute midfielders Álex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal sealed the result.
Yamal Strikes Early as Spain Presses
The encounter at Wembley opened with a high-intensity press from the visitors that immediately disrupted England’s build-up play. Just 1 minute and 30 seconds into the contest, Barcelona winger Lamine Yamal stripped possession from English defender Marc Guéhi deep inside the penalty area. Yamal advanced alone on goal and beat goalkeeper James Trafford to put Spain ahead.
England Responds Before the Break
England gradually worked back into the fixture. Following a pair of missed opportunities by Spain—where Trafford denied Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo curled a shot narrowly wide—the hosts equalized in the 36th minute. Anthony Gordon finished off a quick counter-attacking sequence after a neat one-two passing exchange with Jude Bellingham, sliding the ball past Spanish goalkeeper Unai Simón.
Momentum swung firmly to the hosts shortly before halftime. Harry Kane narrowly missed a long-range effort before successfully heading home a cross from Nico O’Reilly in the 40th minute, despite a desperate goal-line clearance attempt by Marc Cucurella. England carried a 2–1 advantage into the interval.
Kane Slips from the Spot
The second half brought further drama when England was awarded a penalty following a VAR review, after Bellingham went down inside the box under a challenge from Rodri. Kane stepped up to the spot in the 54th minute, but slipped during his run-up, resulting in a double-touch of the ball that struck the crossbar and went out, keeping the score at 2–1.
De la Fuente Pulls the Strings
Spain capitalized on the let-off through the tactical adjustments of de la Fuente, whose contract extension was recently announced. In the 54th minute, the Spain manager introduced Álex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal. Just six minutes later, Baena punished a loose ball in the English midfield with a sharp strike from 16 meters out to level the score at 2–2.
Oyarzabal Chips Home the Winner
The winner arrived in the 74th minute through another fluid attacking sequence originating from the Spanish central defense. Baena slipped a clever vertical pass through to Oyarzabal, who ran onto the ball and executed a delicate chip over the advancing Trafford to make it 3–2.
England pushed for a late equalizer into five minutes of stoppage time, with substitute Dominic Calvert-Lewin colliding with Simón and Bellingham testing the Spanish defense from set pieces. However, Simón collected every aerial cross and blocked a final effort from Bellingham to preserve the scoreline and keep Spain’s long unbeaten run in competitive fixtures intact.
