Spain rallies twice to beat England 3-2 at Wembley in Nations League

Lamine Yamal needed just 60 seconds to open the scoring at Wembley, but what looked like it might be a quiet night for Spain turned into a roller coaster that finished 3-2 in La Roja's favor. England came back to lead before halftime, Spain flipped the score again in the second half, and in between, there was a missed penalty that could have changed everything.

The match was part of the group stage of the UEFA Nations League, in Group A3, and was played at Wembley Stadium with Thomas Tuchel in charge of the hosts and Luis de la Fuente leading Spain.

A lightning start and England's response

Yamal's goal in the 1st minute, a left-footed strike from the center of the box that snuck in by the post, put England on the back foot from the opening whistle. Spain controlled much of the first half hour with chances from Ferran Torres and Dani Olmo, but couldn't extend the lead.

England found a way back as the clock ticked toward halftime. In the 35th minute, Anthony Gordon equalized on a counterattack set up by Jude Bellingham, and four minutes later, in the 39th, Harry Kane headed home a cross from Nico O'Reilly to make it 2-1 at the break.

The missed penalty and Spain's comeback

The second half opened with a key moment. In the 50th minute, Rodri fouled Bellingham inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot, confirmed by VAR a minute later. Harry Kane stepped up to take it, but in the 53rd minute his shot went just wide, leaving the score unchanged in a moment that could have sealed the game for England.

Spain made the most of the reprieve. With substitutes Mikel Oyarzabal and Alex Baena already on the field, the equalizer came in the 59th minute: Baena struck from outside the box off a Dani Olmo assist to make it 2-2. La Roja didn't stop there. In the 73rd minute, Oyarzabal fired in left-footed from the center of the area off a Baena assist to complete the turnaround and seal the final 3-2.

What the numbers say

The stats reflected a closely matched contest in terms of volume, though Spain was somewhat sharper and more dominant in possession.

As for the xG generated in the match, an in-house estimate calculated from the shots taken, Spain posted 2.449 compared to England's 1.784, a gap that backs up how the scoreline played out: La Roja created more genuine goal-scoring danger over the 90 minutes.

Before kickoff, our projection gave Spain a 50% chance of winning, compared to 20% for England and 30% for a draw, with total expected goals of 2.29. The final result, with five goals in the match, exceeded that figure, but Spain's win was in line with what the model considered the most likely outcome.

What the result means in the standings

In Group A3, Spain moved into first place with 3 points from one match played, while England remains without points after the loss. The gap between the two sides in the table stands at 3 points. Croatia, who did not play on this matchday, share the top spot with Spain on the same number of points, while the Czech Republic joins England near the bottom of the group.

For England, Kane's missed penalty stands out as the moment that could have changed the course of the night. For Spain, the ability to overturn two separate deficits, with Yamal, Baena and Oyarzabal as the key figures, points to an offensive resilience that backs up the shared lead atop the group.