Spain beat England 3-2 at Wembley to reach 39-game unbeaten run

Spain came from behind to beat England 3-2 at Wembley on 26 September 2026 in the opening round of the Nations League, with Mikel Oyarzabal scoring the winner in the 74th minute. The victory extended Spain's unbeaten run to 39 matches, a record for a European team, and denied England a win in their first match since the World Cup.aljazeera.com

The result matters because Spain, world champions, punished two England defensive errors to overturn a half-time deficit, while England's Thomas Tuchel saw a promising comeback undone by a missed penalty. It was England's first match since their World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, a game in which they were criticised for ultra-defensive tactics.channelnewsasia.com+1

Two errors hand Spain the win

Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the second minute after Manchester City defender Marc Guehi, with a chance to clear, turned back towards goalkeeper James Trafford. Yamal collected the ball and curled a left-footed effort off the inside of the post. England's back line struggled throughout, with Guehi rated 5 by BBC Sport for the uncharacteristic error.bbc.co.uk

England responded through Anthony Gordon in the 36th minute, finishing a counter-attack after collecting Jude Bellingham's pass to steer the ball past goalkeeper Unai Simon. Four minutes later, Harry Kane headed home Nico O'Reilly's cross via a Marc Cucurella deflection to put England 2-1 ahead, turning the atmosphere at Wembley.

Kane had the chance to give England a two-goal cushion from the penalty spot 10 minutes into the second half, after a Rodri foul on Bellingham was confirmed by a video assistant referee check. Kane slipped slightly as he planted his left foot and crashed the shot off the inside of the crossbar.

Kane's penalty miss proved decisive

Alex Baena equalised in the 60th minute after O'Reilly gave the ball away to Dani Olmo, then turned provider for Oyarzabal, who dinked the ball over Trafford in the 74th minute. Both scorers came off the bench, taking advantage of what the match reports described as sloppy defensive play from the home side.

Spain created numerous chances before falling behind. Ferran Torres had an effort ruled out for offside and another saved by Trafford, and he also missed with only the goalkeeper to beat. Yamal set up Dani Olmo, who flashed wide. England's James Trafford made an important save to stop Torres making it 2-0 in the first half.

Yamal struck inside two minutes

BBC Sport rated Jude Bellingham and Anthony Gordon 8 out of 10, England's highest marks, with Bellingham providing the assist for Gordon's goal and winning the penalty Kane missed. Harry Kane received a 7 for scoring and missing from the spot. Marc Guehi got a 5, the lowest of England's starters.

Spain's win extended an unbeaten run to 39 matches, a record for a European team, under manager Luis de la Fuente. Spain had also beaten England in the Euro 2024 final, with Oyarzabal scoring the winner in that match as well. England's Thomas Tuchel had said before kick-off that the game did not signal a new start.

In the same Group A3 round, Croatia beat the Czech Republic 2-1 under new manager Slaven Bilic, with Luka Modric, aged 41, opening the scoring and Marco Pasalic securing the win. Scotland drew 0-0 with Slovenia in Group B1 under new manager Sebastien Pocognoli, with Jan Oblak making several saves to deny Oli McBurnie.