Spain defeated England 3-2 at Wembley in London on Saturday to open their 2026 UEFA Nations League campaign.
Substitute Mikel Oyarzabal scored the decisive goal in the 74th minute, completing a comeback for the reigning World Cup champions after they fell behind in the first half.
Lamine Yamal opened the scoring for Spain in the second minute. The Barcelona player capitalized on an English defensive error to break into the penalty area and finish past goalkeeper Trafford.
England, who finished third at the recent World Cup, equalized in the 36th minute. Anthony Gordon received a pass on a counterattack, used his pace to break free, and beat goalkeeper Unai Simon with a powerful shot.
First half action
Following the pre match warmups and national anthems, Spain controlled much of the early attacking play. Gordon had an attempted pass into the penalty area intercepted by Simon in the sixth minute, before Spanish defender Marc Cucurella saw his effort to connect with a teammate in the opposition box cleared by the defense.
Ferran Torres had a goal ruled out for offside in the ninth minute. The forward then missed a clear scoring opportunity in the 16th minute after receiving a pass from Yamal. England responded with aggressive pressing, which resulted in an offensive foul call in the 25th minute.
Torres created another chance with an individual run into the area three minutes later, but his shot went wide of the left post. Myles Lewis-Skelly then fell in the Spanish penalty area in the 30th minute, though the referee declined to award a foul.
Spain continued to press before the English equalizer. Yamal provided an assist for Dani Olmo, whose 34th minute shot went wide.
English comeback
Harry Kane put the hosts ahead four minutes after Gordon leveled the match. The England captain rose to meet a cross and headed the ball into the net in the 40th minute, giving his team a 2-1 advantage.
Spain pushed for an equalizer before the interval. Yamal controlled the ball well but sent his shot over the crossbar in the 43rd minute. A minute later, Fabian Ruiz fired from a good position, but the English defense blocked the attempt. The referee added one minute of stoppage time to close the first half.
Second half goals
England nearly extended their lead early in the second half when Jarell Quansah grazed the goalpost with a header in the 49th minute.
Following a video assistant referee review, the match official awarded a penalty to England in the 52nd minute after Jude Bellingham fell under a challenge from Rodri. Kane took the penalty kick, but his effort struck the post.
Spain manager Luis de la Fuente introduced Oyarzabal and Alex Baena in the 55th minute, replacing Torres and Nico Williams. The changes proved effective six minutes later when Baena scored to level the match at 2-2.
Baena then provided the assist for the winning goal. He found Oyarzabal with a pass in the 74th minute, and the forward finished to restore the Spanish advantage.
Late English chances
England pressed for a second equalizer in the closing stages. Bukayo Saka sent a shot from outside the penalty area narrowly wide of the left post in the 66th minute. Saka later had a penalty appeal dismissed after falling in the box in the 82nd minute.
Both teams made several changes as the match progressed. England introduced Morgan Rogers and James Garner for Gordon and Lewis-Skelly in the 70th minute. Spain replaced Ruiz with Pedri in the 71st minute.
England made further substitutions, bringing on Morgan Gibbs-White and Dominic Calvert-Lewin for Saka and Kane in the 83rd minute, and Jarrad Branthwaite for Marc Guehi in the 89th minute.
The referee issued three yellow cards during the match, all to English players. Nico O'Reilly was cautioned in the 67th minute, followed by Guehi two minutes later. Bellingham received a booking in the 81st minute.
The referee added five minutes of stoppage time. In the final minute, Bellingham found space outside the area but his distance strike was saved by Simon.
Lineups and broadcast details
Spain started with Simon in goal, behind a defense of Garcia, Cubarsi, Laporte, and Cucurella. Rodri, Ruiz, and Olmo featured in midfield, supporting Yamal, Williams, and Torres.
England deployed Trafford in goal. The defense consisted of Quansah, Konsa, Guehi, and O'Reilly. Anderson and Lewis-Skelly played in midfield, with Saka, Gordon, Bellingham, and Kane in attack.
Earlier in the day, pre match predictions suggested different starting lineups. Spain was projected to start Simon, Garcia, Cubarsi, Huijsen, Cucurella, Rodri, Ruiz, Yamal, Williams, Lopez, and Oyarzabal. England's predicted eleven included Pickford, Alexander-Arnold, Konsa, Guehi, O'Reilly, Garner, Anderson, Saka, Rogers, Bellingham, and Kane.
Both nations had previously published their full squad lists for the UEFA Nations League fixtures, with De la Fuente naming his selection ahead of the international break.
The match was broadcast internationally on ESPN. Kickoff was scheduled for 1.45 p.m. in Peru, Colombia, and Ecuador. Viewers in Costa Rica and Mexico could watch at 12.45 p.m., while those in Bolivia, Venezuela, and United States cities including Miami, New York, and Washington D.C. tuned in at 2.45 p.m. The game started at 3.45 p.m. in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and at 8.45 p.m. in Spain.
The English national team announced on social media before kickoff that tickets for the fixture were completely sold out.
Curiously, pre match information listed the venue as Kocaeli Stadyumu, a stadium with a capacity of more than 34,000 spectators, though the match ultimately took place at Wembley.
Team form and betting odds
The result extends Spain's unbeaten run, which stretches back more than a year. The Spanish side entered the tournament on a five match winning streak, having defeated Austria 3-0 on July 2, Portugal 1-0 on July 6, Belgium 2-1 on July 10, France 2-0 on July 14, and Argentina 1-0 on July 19.
England's recent form over the same period included a 2-1 victory over the Democratic Republic of Congo on July 1, a 3-2 win against Mexico on July 5, and a 2-1 success against Norway on July 11. The English team then suffered a 2-1 defeat to Argentina on July 15, before securing a 6-4 victory over France on July 18.
Major bookmakers listed Spain as slight favorites. Betsson priced an England win at 3.05, a draw at 3.40, and a Spain win at 2.25. Betano offered 3.05 for England, 3.40 for a draw, and 2.32 for Spain. Bet365 listed England at 3.10, a draw at 3.40, and Spain at 2.30. 1XBet set odds of 3.14 for England, 3.48 for a draw, and 2.35 for Spain. Caliente priced England at 3.05, a draw at 3.60, and Spain at 2.30. Finally, Doradobet offered 3.10 for England, 3.40 for a draw, and 2.30 for Spain.
