England turn Spain around with two goals in four-minute Wembley spell

England came from behind to beat Spain 2-1 with two goals in four extraordinary minutes before half-time in their Nations League opener at Wembley on Saturday.

Spain made the faster start in London, taking the lead in the second minute through Lamine Yamal. The Barcelona forward capitalised on a loss of possession by Manchester City defender Marc Guehi, took the ball into the penalty area and finished past England goalkeeper James Trafford.

England were initially fortunate to remain in the contest as Spain created a succession of opportunities without extending their advantage. The visitors were made to pay for those missed chances when Anthony Gordon levelled for the hosts in the 36th minute.

Gordon exchanged passes with Real Madrid midfielder Jude Bellingham during a counter-attack before advancing into the area and shooting beyond Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon.

England completed the turnaround only four minutes later. Bayern Munich forward Harry Kane headed towards goal and the ball struck Real Madrid defender Marc Cucurella before finding the net in the 40th minute, with Cucurella unable to clear it.

The two-goal burst gave England a 2-1 lead before the interval after Spain had appeared in control during the earlier stages of the match.

Spain began the fixture as holders of the 2026 World Cup, having beaten Argentina 1-0 in the final. They are also European champions, after defeating England 2-1 in the 2024 final.

The result would be particularly significant for Spain because they arrived at Wembley having gone 38 consecutive matches without defeat.

England are the third-placed team from the 2026 World Cup. They secured that position after beating neighbours France 6-4 in a notable match at the tournament.

Croatia and Czech Republic are also in Group C of the top tier and faced each other at the same time as England and Spain.

The match was played at Wembley Stadium in London as part of the opening round of Nations League fixtures.