Nations League: Spain triumphs in duel against England at Wembley

Sep 26, 2026

In the opening match of the Nations League, the Spanish world champions triumphed 3-2 against England, the bronze medalists from the last World Cup, on Saturday, September 26, at Wembley Stadium.

Published on: 26/09/2026 - 23:10Updated on: 26/09/2026 - 23:24

3 min Reading time

The match at Wembley was a real chase, with each team taking the lead as the tension mounted. La Roja opened the scoring through Lamine Yamal (2', 1-0), only to be overturned before the halftime whistle (36', 40'). They faced a scare, particularly when Unai Simon hit the crossbar from a missed penalty by Harry Kane (54'), before securing victory thanks to substitutes Alex Baena (60', 2-2) and Mikel Oyarzabal (74', 3-2).

This resembles another demonstration, albeit less controlled than usual, from coach Luis de la Fuente, who has turned everything into success, whether in the Nations League (2023), the Euro (2024), or the World Cup (2026). Two months after their victory against Argentina (1-0) in the World Cup final, the Spaniards showed they still have great motivation while highlighting the weaknesses of the English team.

Thomas Tuchel was under pressure after the disappointment of the World Cup, and his critics will find new reasons to criticize in Saturday's defeat. However, his players showed a lot of promise and determination, even if control was lacking.

They deserve credit for bouncing back after a disastrous start. Indeed, Lamine Yamal punished a huge error from defender Marc Guéhi by scoring just 1 minute and 45 seconds into the match, with a shot aided by a post from James Trafford (2', 1-0).

Winning Bench

The decision to start the 23-year-old Leeds goalkeeper instead of the experienced Jordan Pickford could have turned disastrous without an offside from Ferran Torres (8'), a shot that went too wide from the new Paris Saint-Germain player (27'), and another from Dani Olmo (34').

Trafford also saved his team from disaster by winning his duel with Torres (16'), at a moment when La Roja was imposing its game: constant and coordinated pressing, well-orchestrated attacks, and solid defense.

On their side, the English wasted too many crosses and set pieces to trouble De la Fuente's defense, which remains unbeaten in official matches for over three years (excluding penalty shootouts).

However, they continued to push with a courage and determination that had been sorely lacking during the World Cup semifinal lost 2-1 to Argentina after leading 1-0. In the span of five minutes, the Three Lions struck two decisive blows.

Spain was first surprised by a counter-attack initiated by Elliot Anderson and brilliantly concluded by Anthony Gordon, the Barcelona winger, who subtly diverted the ball to Jude Bellingham, who finished brilliantly past Unai Simon (36', 1-1). Then, from a cross by Nico O'Reilly, Harry Kane scored with a header, deflected by Marc Cucurella into his own net (40', 2-1). Captain Kane put his team ahead but also created difficulties in the second half by hitting the crossbar from a penalty earned by Bellingham (54').

De la Fuente quickly brought in Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal. His substitutions paid off: the Atlético winger equalized (60', 2-2) and the Real Sociedad forward scored the winning goal with an elegant chipped shot (74', 3-2).