World champions Spain punish England errors to win Nations League thriller

Two England errors hand Spain a 3-2 Wembley win as Mikel Oyarzabal seals a pulsating Nations League opener.

Spain's Lamine Yamal scores their first goal in the football Nations League England v Spain game at Wembley Stadium, London, Britain on September 26, 2026 (Photo: REUTERS/David Klein)

LONDON: Mikel Oyarzabal scored the winner as World champions Spain capitalised on two calamitous England defensive errors to claim a thrilling 3-2 victory at Wembley on Saturday (Sep 26), in the standout fixture of the opening round of the Nations League.

Less than 10 weeks after they hoisted the World Cup, Spain made England pay in their first two goals.

Teen sensation Lamine Yamal struck in just the second minute when Marc Guehi was caught in possession deep inside his own half. Alex Baena scored in the 60th minute after Nico O'Reilly's misplaced pass handed possession back to the visitors.

Oyarzabal, who also scored 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.

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Spain's victory spoiled what had briefly looked like 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.

Kane was left shaking his head after firing a second-half penalty off the inside of the crossbar when his left foot slipped upon planting.

England and Spain had arrived with very different World Cup memories, with Spain looking to build on their World Cup triumph and Thomas Tuchel's men still feeling the scars of defeat and looking to show they could narrow the gap on one of football's global standard-bearers.

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 Croatian 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. Bilic is back in charge of Croatia after Zlatko Dalic's departure following their round-of-32 World Cup defeat to Portugal, while Spaniard Santi Denia was appointed the Czechs' boss after their group-stage exit.

Scotland began life under new manager Sebastien Pocognoli with a 0-0 draw against Slovenia in Nations League Group B1, offering early glimpses of the more attacking style the Belgian hopes to implement following Steve Clarke's departure after Scotland's World Cup exit.

Scotland grew into the game and controlled for long periods in Ljubljana. Oli McBurnie, back in the international fold after a five-year absence, had some of the game's best chances, but a string of brilliant saves from Jan Oblak had the Scots settling for just a point.

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