Spain proved why they are the best national team in the world with a statement 3-2 victory at Wembley extending their extraordinary unbeaten run to 39 games and landing a significant blow to England’s Nations League ambitions in the process.
It was a match of breathtaking momentum swings, defensive errors, individual brilliance and one pivotal moment that could define England’s entire group campaign Harry Kane’s penalty slip in the 54th minute that sent the ball crashing against the bar when England had the chance to move 3-1 ahead. Spain, clinical as ever, punished that miss with devastating efficiency.
How the Match Unfolded
England could not have asked for a worse opening. Inside two minutes, a Marc Guehi error handed the ball directly to Lamine Yamal, who ran in on goal and finished with the composure of a player twice his age. It was the third quickest goal England have ever conceded at Wembley Stadium behind only first-minute strikes for Scotland in 1957 and Hungary in 1953.
Spain could have been out of sight by half-time. Ferran Torres spurned two gilt-edged one-on-one chances saved brilliantly by surprise starter James Trafford on the first occasion, sent wide on the second in a first-half that demonstrated Spain’s capacity to create but also their occasional wastefulness when the opportunities are truly clear-cut.
But England, to their enormous credit, did not capitulate. What followed was a remarkable 10-minute spell of quality that temporarily silenced the World Cup winners and gave Wembley something to roar about.
36 minutes: The equaliser arrived through the match’s finest move. Anthony Gordon who had urged England to lean into their traditional strengths all week combined brilliantly with Jude Bellingham before applying a precise, composed finish to level. In four minutes, Spain had conceded more goals than in their entire eight-game World Cup campaign combined.
40 minutes: England were ahead. Nico O’Reilly delivered a superb cross from the left and Harry Kane rose to head emphatically past the goalkeeper despite Marc Cucurella’s attempt to block a goal that capped an extraordinary transformation in momentum, scoreline and atmosphere.
The Moment That Changed Everything
If there is a single image that will define this match in the memory, it is Harry Kane slipping as he struck his penalty in the 54th minute.
The spot-kick came after a VAR review judged Rodri to have fouled Bellingham in the box a decision that gave England the chance to move 3-1 ahead and potentially put the match beyond Spain’s reach. Kane stepped up, slipped on his plant foot, and sent the ball crashing against the crossbar.
“Tough one to take,” Kane admitted to broadcasters afterwards. “We went toe to toe with Spain. On another day we would have won.”
What followed was entirely predictable in hindsight. Spain smelled blood. Their response was immediate, decisive and clinical exactly what world champions do when given a reprieve.
60 minutes: Substitute Alex Baena clipped in the equaliser from the edge of the box after Nico O’Reilly’s error gifted Spain possession in a dangerous area a second defensive mistake from the left-back that proved critically costly.
74 minutes: The winner. A precise through ball from Baena released Mikel Oyarzabal in behind England’s retreating defence, and the Basque forward tucked away the finish with the composure of a player who has scored in moments like this before. Spain led 3-2 and that is how it finished.
The Defensive Flaws That Cost England
The pattern of England’s defensive errors was too consistent to dismiss as bad luck. Marc Guehi’s giveaway for Yamal’s opener. O’Reilly’s contribution to both Spain goals the misplaced pass that led to the disallowed Torres header, and the error that allowed Baena’s equaliser. England were cut open through the match in ways that Tuchel will need to address before November’s rematch in Madrid.
“Clear-cut mistakes were too high on our side,” Tuchel acknowledged in his post-match press conference. “In the last 20 metres they were more clinical and composed to convert our ball losses into clear-cut chances. We had them. We had our chance to beat them.”
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente was generous in his assessment of England’s quality while being clear about the gap that remains. “The game was under control most of the time, except for six to seven minutes when England dominated us. Against a rival like England a superpower this can happen. But this generation of players is exceptional. They are still hungry, they want to keep growing.”
The Standout Performers
Anthony Gordon was England’s best player on the night direct, fearless and the embodiment of exactly the qualities he had publicly called for England to embrace. His goal was the evening’s finest individual contribution.
Jude Bellingham was central to everything England did well his combination play for Gordon’s goal and his ability to win the penalty that Kane missed both underlined his continued importance to this side.
Lamine Yamal was Spain’s most dangerous player as he has been at every level he has competed at this year. Composure at two minutes of a Wembley Nations League match, following his World Cup and European Championship performances, has become his calling card.
James Trafford, in for the surprisingly absent Jordan Pickford, produced one outstanding save from Torres’ one-on-one and generally handled the occasion with composure though the debate about whether his selection ahead of the experienced Pickford was the correct call will continue.
Where This Leaves England in the Group
The defeat leaves England third in Nations League Group A3 behind Spain and Croatia, who beat Czech Republic 2-1 on the same evening. The road to the Nations League Finals is now considerably more demanding.
England’s upcoming fixtures are:
Tuesday September 29: Czech Republic (away), 7.45pm kick-off
Saturday October 3: Croatia (away), 5pm kick-off
Tuesday October 6: Czech Republic (home), 7.45pm kick-off
Thomas Tuchel has been unambiguous about his ambition for this competition winning the Nations League has been stated as a specific target. To achieve it, England will now need to beat Czech Republic and Croatia in their next two away fixtures before returning to face Spain in Madrid in November and winning. A tall order but not an impossible one for a side that showed, for 10 minutes at Wembley, that it can match the world’s best when everything clicks.
“We will keep on pushing,” Tuchel said. “The way we played was enough to beat them. We have to recover, learn from it do what we did well and reduce and improve on our mistakes.”
That improvement, particularly in defensive transitions and set-piece concentration, cannot wait until November. The Czech Republic fixture on Tuesday provides the first opportunity to respond.
