Spain fight back to beat England 3-2 in Nations League thriller at Wembley

World champions Spain came from behind to beat England 3-2 in a thrilling UEFA Nations League opener at Wembley on Saturday, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring a 74th-minute winner.

Lamine Yamal put the visitors ahead after just two minutes, capitalising on a Marc Guehi mistake deep in England’s half, according to Reuters. England responded with a blistering four-minute spell before half-time: Anthony Gordon levelled in the 36th minute after combining with Jude Bellingham, and Harry Kane headed the hosts in front four minutes later, his effort taking a deflection off Marc Cucurella.

Kane then missed a golden chance to extend the lead. Rodri’s foul on Bellingham led to a penalty, but the captain slipped and struck the crossbar. Spain punished the miss, according to ESPN: substitute Alex Baena drilled in the equaliser on the hour after Nico O’Reilly surrendered possession, then threaded a pass through for Oyarzabal to dink the winner over James Trafford.

Oyarzabal had also scored the winner against England in the 2024 European Championship final.

“Terrible start, the worst start possible,” England manager Thomas Tuchel told ITV, praising the reaction as “very good, very good”. The result stretched Spain’s unbeaten run, while England regroup before facing Czechia on Tuesday.

Sources:
– Reuters: World champions Spain punish England errors to win Nations League thriller at Wembley
– ESPN: England 2-3 Spain: World champions punish Three Lions’ errors at Wembley