fajar-ramadhan
Lamine Yamal scored a goal that will live long in the memory, but it was the Spain substitute bench that ultimately stole the show as the world champions came from behind to beat England 3-2 at Wembley in a UEFA Nations League encounter that delivered twists, counter-attacks, aVAR intervention and a missed penalty in equal measure.
The victory, delivered by Luis de la Fuente's side under the lights in London, extends Spain's remarkable unbeaten run to 39 matches — a new record for a European national team. For a team already crowned world champions, and one that has now established such a stranglehold on the international game, reaching a further milestone almost feels routine. Yet the manner in which it was achieved here — chaotic, scrappy and repeatedly in danger of being hijacked by the hosts — was anything but.
For England, the defeat was a bitter one. Thomas Tuchel's side arrived at Wembley still carrying the sting of a painful World Cup exit, and of heavy criticism for their ultra-defensive approach in the semifinal loss to Argentina. The home side had been widely blamed for sitting too deep, ceding possession and offering little attacking intent against a superior opponent. Ahead of this game, Tuchel was at pains to insist the match did not signal some kind of new start, attempt or statement of intent. Whatever his pre-match framing, he will have been thoroughly dismayed by how the first half began.
It lasted barely two minutes. Marc Guehi, the Manchester City defender, had the simplest of chances to clear the ball deep inside his own half with England under pressure. Instead, inexplicably, he turned back towards his own goalkeeper, apparently unaware that Yamal was hovering directly behind him. The teenager pounced, gathering the loose ball and curling a left-footed effort off the inside of the post and into the net. The goal was a microcosm of a wider theme: Spain pressing relentlessly, England uncertain in possession, and individual errors in the build-up from the back proving fatal.
The home side could easily have been three goals down inside the opening quarter. Spain's control of the ball was near-total, and England struggled to cope with the speed of the visitors' circulation and the individual quality of the attackers. Ferran Torres was at the heart of much of it, seeing one effort ruled out for offside, another comfortably saved by goalkeeper James Trafford — in for the long-serving number one Jordan Pickford — and then squandering a golden opportunity when it looked inevitable he should have converted with only the goalkeeper to beat. The sheer volume of chances, however, was matched by a failure to put the finishing touch on them.
Yamal continued to orchestrate, setting up Dani Olmo, whose own effort flashed wide as Spain began to rue yet another missed opening. In a match of fine margins, those early misses mattered less than they might otherwise have done, because England found a way to play a completely different game.
The hosts' success lay in their directness. Rather than trying to match Spain in possession, they defended with purpose, looked to recover the ball in their own half and break at speed. Having won it back deep inside their own third, England produced a rapid, incisive counter-attack that cut through a team caught in transition. Gordon, the Barcelona winger, was involved early in the move, surged forward and then collected a pass from Jude Bellingham before steering the ball decisively past Unai Simon and into the net. It was an instructive contrast: Spain's sustained pressure had produced one goal from a goalkeeping error, while England's single sharp moment produced a goal built on cohesion and timing.
Four minutes later, England had a lead that would have been unthinkable twenty-five minutes earlier. Nico O'Reilly delivered a cross that was deflected by Marc Cucurella and headed home by Harry Kane, who rose unchallenged to make it 2-1. The atmosphere in the stadium had transformed. Spain's dominance suddenly looked less inevitable, the visiting bench's confidence appeared to waver, and the home crowd sensed the possibility of a cathartic afternoon.
England began the second half brightly and, when they were awarded a penalty for a Rodri foul on Bellingham following a VAR check, they had the chance to earn a two-goal cushion with ten minutes of the half gone. Kane, having converted the earlier header, stepped up for a golden opportunity. He slipped slightly and crashed his shot against the bar, and for a moment the entire match hung in the balance. It was the pivotal moment of the evening — the point at which England's momentum broke and Spain sensed blood.
Spain, who had beaten England in the Euro 2024 final, took full advantage of the continuing defensive sloppiness at the back. On the hour mark, substitute Alex Baena steered home after O'Reilly had carelessly given the ball away to Olmo inside the area. The equaliser restored parity and gave de la Fuente's men the platform for another push. Worse was to come for the hosts: Baena turned provider moments later, slipping Mikel Oyarzabal through, and the substitute calmly dinked the ball over the advancing Trafford to send Spain into raptures.
The pattern of the comeback was significant. Spain's starters repeatedly failed to convert, but the depth of the squad proved decisive — Baena and Oyarzabal arrived together and scored twice in quick succession. England's own errors, from Guehi's opening miscue to O'Reilly's two more loose touches in the second half, made the comeback possible. Tuchel's side had been bruised by their World Cup elimination, and this was precisely the kind of match in which defensive concentration and game management were required.
What happens next underlines the significance for both camps. Spain's 39-match unbeaten run is now a European record, and a Nations League victory over England on the road — a fixture England will remember for a traumatic second half — signals a team operating at the very top of its game. For Tuchel, the questions will be uncomfortable: a side that has been criticised for playing too cautiously then produced moments of genuine adventure, only to lose their shape when the game turned. Trafford's debut, and the absences of established figures in defensive positions, suggest an England side still searching for its best combination.
Spain, for all their wobbles, left Wembley with another clean sheet surrendered, a winning habit and a growing sense of inevitability. England, by contrast, were left searching for the composure that a record of this kind demands — and finding, once again, that an opponent of Spain's calibre can punish even the smallest lapse.
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