Spain produced another remarkable comeback at Wembley on Saturday night, recovering from a 2-1 deficit to defeat England 3-2 in a breathtaking UEFA Nations League encounter.
The match had almost everything a football fan could ask for: five goals, a missed penalty, a goal inside two minutes, a second-half comeback, controversial moments, physical challenges and a dramatic winner from Mikel Oyarzabal.
For England, Harry Kane’s missed penalty will dominate the headlines, while Spain extended their extraordinary unbeaten run to 39 matches.
Yamal strikes early
Spain needed barely two minutes to silence Wembley.
Lamine Yamal opened the scoring with a brilliant left-footed finish, bending the ball beyond James Trafford to give the visitors a dream start.
The early goal immediately forced England to change their approach. Spain’s technical quality was evident as Rodri and his midfield teammates attempted to control possession, while England looked for a more direct route towards Kane.
The visitors also threatened to extend their advantage, with Ferran Torres missing opportunities that could have changed the complexion of the match.
England eventually found their response.
Gordon brings England back
Anthony Gordon restored parity in the 36th minute.
Jude Bellingham produced the creative pass that released Gordon, and the England winger made no mistake, drilling his finish beyond the Spanish goalkeeper to make it 1-1.
The goal completely changed the atmosphere inside Wembley.
Just four minutes later, England completed the turnaround.
Nico O’Reilly delivered a dangerous cross into the penalty area, and Harry Kane rose to meet it with a glancing header that found the net in the 40th minute.
England had gone from trailing 1-0 to leading 2-1 before half-time.
Kane’s penalty nightmare
The second half produced the match’s biggest talking point.
England were awarded a penalty in the 52nd minute after a VAR review, giving Kane an opportunity to put the hosts 3-1 ahead.
It looked like a potentially decisive moment.
Instead, it became the turning point of the match.
Kane slipped while taking the penalty and sent his effort crashing against the crossbar. With England still leading 2-1, the miss kept Spain alive and gave the visitors renewed belief.
Spain immediately began pushing forward.
Baena punishes England
Spain’s substitutions proved decisive.
Alex Baena was introduced in the 55th minute and needed only five minutes to make his impact felt.
Dani Olmo found Baena in space, and the substitute fired a composed finish into the corner from around 20 yards to level the match at 2-2 in the 60th minute.
Suddenly, England’s advantage had disappeared.
Spain smelled blood.
Oyarzabal completes the comeback
The decisive moment arrived in the 74th minute.
Baena once again became the creator, finding Mikel Oyarzabal inside the penalty area. The substitute calmly finished with his left foot, beating James Trafford to put Spain 3-2 ahead.
It was another painful moment for England because Oyarzabal had also scored the winning goal when Spain defeated England in the Euro 2024 final.
History had somehow repeated itself at Wembley.
England desperately searched for an equaliser during the closing stages, but Spain’s defence stood firm. The visitors survived five minutes of added time to secure a famous 3-2 victory.
A physical battle at Wembley
The match was not short of physical challenges either.
England committed 11 fouls compared with Spain’s 16, while the visitors made 23 tackles to England’s 12. England were also shown three yellow cards, whereas Spain finished without a booking.
The heavy tackling reflected the intensity of the contest, particularly during midfield battles and England’s attempts to disrupt Spain’s passing rhythm. There were several strong challenges as both sides fought for control, although neither team received a red card.
England actually had the better tackle success rate, completing nine of their 12 tackles, while Spain completed seven of 23. However, Spain’s ability to recover possession, clear danger and survive England’s late pressure ultimately proved more important.
Spain’s control beats England’s pressure
The statistics showed an intriguing contrast.
England had more territory inside Spain’s penalty area and attempted 23 crosses, compared with just five from Spain. Yet Spain controlled 53.3 percent possession and completed 455 accurate passes compared with England’s 393.
Spain also produced 15 shots to England’s 12 and five shots on target to England’s four.
That combination of possession, technical quality and clinical finishing allowed Spain to recover from a difficult position.
For England, the defeat will be particularly frustrating because they had the opportunity to move 3-1 ahead. Kane’s penalty miss proved to be the pivotal moment, but defensive errors and Spain’s second-half attacking changes also played major roles.
Spain, meanwhile, demonstrated why they remain one of international football’s most difficult teams to defeat.
Yamal provided the early spark. Baena changed the game from the bench. Oyarzabal delivered the decisive blow.
And once again, Spain left Wembley celebrating.
Final Score: England 2-3 Spain
England scorers: Anthony Gordon 36′, Harry Kane 40′
Spain scorers: Lamine Yamal 2′, Álex Baena 60′, Mikel Oyarzabal 74′
Penalty: Harry Kane missed 54′
