Spain Stuns England with 3-2 Nations League Win after Defensive Blunders
Thrilling Nations League Opener: Spain vs England and Other Key Matches
By Lori Ewing
Spain Capitalises on England's Defensive Errors
Sept 26 (Reuters) - Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal scored the winner as the world champions capitalised on two calamitous England defensive errors to claim a thrilling 3-2 victory at Wembley on Saturday, in the standout fixture of the opening round of the Nations League.
Less than 10 weeks after lifting the World Cup, Spain, unbeaten in 39 games, made England pay in scoring their first two goals.
Early Goals Set the Tone
Teen sensation Lamine Yamal struck in the second minute when Marc Guehi was caught in possession deep inside his own half. Alex Baena scored on the hour after Nico O'Reilly's misplaced pass handed possession back to the visitors.
Oyarzabal's Decisive Moment
Oyarzabal, who also got the winner against England in the 2024 European Championship final, struck the decider in the 74th minute with a clever dink over goalkeeper James Trafford.
England's Brief Comeback
Spain's victory spoiled what had briefly looked like being a memorable England comeback -- and a small measure of redemption after their heartbreaking World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina.
England had turned the game on its head in a thrilling four-minute span, with Anthony Gordon's 36th-minute equaliser sparking a blistering spell that culminated in captain Harry Kane heading the hosts in front.
Player and Manager Reactions
"We're playing against the world champions, the European champions, and we went toe-to-toe," Kane told ITV. "On another day for sure we'd have won that game."
Kane was left shaking his head though after firing a second-half penalty off the inside of the crossbar when his left foot slipped upon planting.
"Terrible start, the worst start possible," England manager Thomas Tuchel said. "Makes it so, so difficult to be behind against this kind of team. The reaction was very good, very good.
"The third goal was the only one they really scored -- the others were from individual, big mistakes."
Contrasting World Cup Memories
England and Spain had arrived at Wembley with very different World Cup memories. The Spaniards looked to build on their triumph, while Tuchel's men were still feeling the scars of defeat and aiming to show they could narrow the gap.
Other Nations League Highlights
Evergreen Modric Leads by Example
EVERGREEN MODRIC LEADS BY EXAMPLE
In Saturday's other Group A3 game, Croatia gave new manager Slaven Bilic a 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic as evergreen captain Luka Modric once again proved influential before Marco Pasalic struck the decisive goal.
The 41-year-old Modric, still the heartbeat of the Croatia side more than two decades after his international debut, put the visitors ahead two minutes after the break.
The Czechs responded through Adam Karabec in the 54th minute but Pasalic restored Croatia's advantage with 13 minutes remaining to secure all three points.
The game marked a new start for both sides.
Managerial Changes and New Beginnings
Bilic is back in charge of Croatia after Zlatko Dalic's departure following their round-of-32 World Cup defeat by Portugal, while Spaniard Santi Denia was appointed the Czechs' boss after their group-stage exit.
Scotland and Switzerland Impress
Scotland began life under Sebastien Pocognoli with a 0-0 draw away to Slovenia in Group B1, offering glimpses of the more attacking style the Belgian hopes to implement following manager Steve Clarke's departure after Scotland's World Cup exit.
Oli McBurnie, back in the Scotland fold after a five-year absence, had some of the best chances but a string of brilliant saves from Jan Oblak had the Scots settling for a point.
Switzerland made an impressive start to their first League B campaign, with Remo Freuler opening the scoring and Zeki Amdouni netting the first of his two goals before halftime en route to a 3-0 win away to North Macedonia.
Finland's Dominant Display
Finland's Joel Pohjanpalo scored a hat-trick to help his country to a 7-0 thrashing of San Marino in Group C1.
(Reporting by Lori Ewing; editing by Clare Fallon and Ken Ferris)
