Spain defeated England 3:2 in their UEFA Nations League League A opener on 26 September 2026. The visitors took control early through Lamine Yamal, who struck in the second minute before Anthony Gordon equalised for the hosts. Harry Kane then restored England's lead just before the interval, but Spain turned the match with three second-half goals to claim all three points.
And here's the thing about the penalty incident. Jude Bellingham converted the spot-kick after VAR intervention in the 52nd minute, then Harry Kane missed his own attempt moments later. Spain pressed forward again through Alejandro Baena Rodríguez, who added a third before Mikel Oyarzabal sealed the victory in the 74th minute.
We had backed Spain to win at 41 per cent confidence, and the result confirmed that assessment. To be fair, England created their chances but Spain were more clinical when it mattered. The hosts had 106 attacks compared to 73 for Spain, yet the visitors converted their opportunities with greater efficiency.
The statistics tell part of the story. England dominated possession in their own half with 198 passes, while Spain moved the ball more purposefully into the final third with 82 passes into dangerous areas. Spain registered 2.99 expected goals against England's 1.51, and their five big chances created versus three for the hosts showed where the difference lay.
By then the match had become a tactical battle rather than an open contest. England made five substitutions including bringing on Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane, while Spain responded with Daniel Olmo Carvajal and Fabián Ruiz. Three yellow cards were shown, none to Spanish players despite their greater number of tackles.
The result puts Spain top of the table with three points from one game, while England sit third with none. The hosts lost their opening fixture after a run of mixed results, whereas Spain extended a winning streak that includes victories over Austria, Portugal and Belgium. England will need to regroup quickly if they are to recover from this setback.
