Nations League

Five-Goal Thriller: World Champions Spain Defeat England

Coming off the bench, Alex Baena (right) made his mark: He scored to tie the game at 2–2 and then set up the 3–2 goal.(Bild: EPA/TOLGA AKMEN)

Spain got off to a successful start in the Nations League. The world champions prevailed 3-2 (1-2) against host England in a thrilling Group A3 showdown on Saturday at a sold-out Wembley Stadium in London and are now unbeaten in 39 international matches after regulation time. Goals by Lamine Yamal (2'), Alex Baena (60'), and Mikel Oyarzabal (74') proved decisive. Anthony Gordon (36') and Harry Kane (40') scored for the “Three Lions.”

  England coach Thomas Tuchel put his trust in James Trafford in goal, and Trafford found the ball in the back of the net after just under two minutes. Marc Guehi cut back and lost the ball to Yamal, who finished off the play by hitting the inside post. It was just one of several passing errors by the English defense, which looked visibly unsettled, especially early on. Spain’s second goal, a volley by Ferran Torres, was ruled out due to a narrow offside call (8th minute). Torres should have added to his tally but failed twice. First, he was denied by Trafford in a one-on-one situation (16th minute), then he missed the target from a prime position in a similar situation (27th minute). Dani Olmo also lacked a cool finish (34th minute).

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A counterattack led to the equalizer
That came back to haunt them. The English quickly switched gears after Nico Williams slipped near his own penalty area. Gordon set up Jude Bellingham with a backheel, and Bellingham played the ball into the path of the Barcelona forward, who left Spain’s goalkeeper Unai Simon with no chance. Kane completed the one-two strike shortly after missing his first big chance. The Bayern forward scored with a header and was also lucky that Marc Cucurella, in his attempt to clear the ball, deflected it into his own net with his thigh. The game continued to swing back and forth. First, Yamal (42') and Fabian Ruiz (43') missed chances to equalize; shortly afterward, on the other end, a cross from Cucurella dipped onto the post (45').

  After the restart, the “Three Lions” had the better chances early on. A header by Jarell Quansah went over the bar (49'), and following a controversial challenge by Rodri on Bellingham in the penalty area, TV replays showed a penalty was awarded. Kane slipped on the ball and, with two touches, slammed it against the crossbar (54th). Play resumed with a free kick for the Spanish side, who regained control as the second half wore on. Yamal missed miserably from six meters out (60'), but Baena scored from the edge of the penalty area into the corner. This play was again preceded by a disastrous misplaced pass, this time by Nico O’Reilly.

Oyarzabal’s chip seals the win
Bukayo Saka missed the chance to make it 3–2 (66'), but the Spanish didn’t miss theirs shortly afterward. Buena set up Oyarzabal, who beat Trafford with a chip. This marked another victory for the 2024 European champions, coming a good two months after their World Cup triumph in East Rutherford. Their last defeat in regulation time remains a 0-1 friendly loss to Colombia on March 22, 2024. Croatia also has three points following a 2-1 win in Prague against the Czech Republic. Veteran Luka Modric (47th minute) and Marco Pasalic (77th minute) sealed the victory after halftime. Adam Karabec (54th minute) had equalized in the meantime.