Oyarzabal Winner Seals Spain Comeback Victory Over England at Wembley
Spain fought back to beat England 3-2 at Wembley, stretching their unbeaten run in all competitions to 39 matches after Mikel Oyarzabal struck the winner in the 74th minute.
Spain recover after England turnaround
Lamine Yamal gave Spain an ideal start, scoring inside two minutes in London. England responded before half-time, however, as Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane scored in quick succession to send the hosts into the break 2-1 ahead.
The pivotal moment came early in the second half. England won a penalty after Jude Bellingham was fouled in the box, but Kane hit the bar from the spot.
- Yamal opened the scoring for Spain after two minutes.
- Gordon and Kane put England ahead before the interval.
- Kane missed an early second-half penalty, with his effort striking the crossbar.
- Alex Baena equalised on the hour.
- Oyarzabal completed Spain’s comeback in the 74th minute.
De la Fuente praises Spain response
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said his side had largely controlled the contest, aside from the brief spell in which England turned the game around.
“For most of the match we were in control,” he said. “There were six or seven minutes when we lost our connection and England made us pay. Against a team with that level of talent, you have to protect the spaces better.”
De la Fuente insisted his players retain the hunger to improve despite their long unbeaten sequence. He pointed to the performance data as evidence of Spain’s progress but said there remained room for growth.
The coach also highlighted the mentality shown after falling behind.
“The credit belongs to the players,” he said. “They have become more than just a professional group. They accept the ideas we ask of them and they have the ambition to keep getting better. We created clear opportunities and did not take all of them, but our ability to react was important. Even at 3-1 down, I believe we would have responded. What mattered was getting back into the match.”
Ferran and Yamal singled out
Ferran Torres led Spain’s attack and missed two notable first-half chances, but De la Fuente was pleased with the forward’s effort and movement.
- De la Fuente described Torres as a major goal threat and praised his attitude.
- The Spain manager stressed that every substitute and starter had contributed to the collective display.
- Yamal, still a teenager, received special praise after another decisive international performance.
On Yamal, De la Fuente said the Barcelona forward is an exceptional player who understands how to adapt to each phase of a game and deliver what the situation demands.
What happens next
Spain’s win strengthened their position in the group after Croatia won 2-1 away to Czechia, with Luka Modric among the scorers.
Tuesday brings a meeting between the two winning teams, Spain and Croatia. A victory would take Spain’s unbeaten sequence to 40 matches. England will travel to Czechia on the same day.
