Mikel Oyarzabal scored a 74th-minute winner as Spain came from behind to beat England 3–2 at Wembley on Saturday, after Harry Kane missed a penalty that could have put the hosts two goals ahead.
The world champions trailed 2–1 at halftime but recovered through substitutes Álex Baena and Oyarzabal to make a winning start to their Nations League campaign. Spain’s unbeaten run reached 39 matches.
Lamine Yamal had given the visitors an early lead, taking the ball from Marc Guéhi and finishing past James Trafford inside two minutes. The mistake left England chasing the game before it had settled, and Spain created further opportunities to stretch the advantage.
England survived that spell and equalised in the 36th minute. Anthony Gordon combined with Jude Bellingham on a counterattack, receiving the return pass and sliding his finish beyond Unai Simón.
Kane put England ahead four minutes later with a header that took a deflection off Marc Cucurella. Having been under pressure for much of the opening period, Thomas Tuchel’s side went into the interval with the lead.
The England captain had an opportunity to make it 3–1 early in the second half after Rodri brought him down and a penalty was awarded following a video review. Kane slipped during his approach and struck the crossbar.
Spain equalised on the hour. A misplaced pass by Nico O’Reilly returned possession to the visitors, and Baena finished low from outside the penalty area to level the score at 2–2.
Baena then helped create the decisive goal, finding Oyarzabal for a composed finish over the advancing Trafford. England pressed for another equaliser, with Simón saving an effort from Bellingham, but Spain held its advantage.
Oyarzabal had also scored the winner against England in the Euro 2024 final. His latest intervention again decided a close meeting between the teams, this time after Spain had been forced to recover from a halftime deficit.
For England, two goals in four first-half minutes were insufficient to turn the opener into a victory. Spain’s replacements supplied both second-half goals and all three points.
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