Lamine Yamal scores third-fastest goal England have conceded at Wembley

Lamine Yamal made history by scoring Spain’s second-minute opener against England at Wembley in London on Saturday, giving the European champions an early lead in the opening round of the UEFA Nations League group stage.

The Barcelona forward capitalised on a mistake in possession by Manchester City defender Marc Guehi, winning the ball before driving towards the penalty area and finishing past England goalkeeper James Trafford.

According to statistics provider Opta, Yamal’s goal was the third-fastest England have conceded in a match at Wembley. Only goals scored in the first minute by Hungary’s Nandor Hidegkuti on 25 November 1953 and Scotland’s Tommy Ring on 6 April 1957 came earlier.

The strike also gave Spain an ideal start to a meeting between two sides with recent major-tournament history. Spain began the match as holders of the 2026 World Cup, having beaten Argentina 1-0 in the final.

La Roja are also European champions after defeating England 2-1 in the Euro 2024 final. Spain arrived at Wembley on a run of 38 consecutive matches without defeat.

England, meanwhile, are the third-placed team from the 2026 World Cup. They secured that position after a memorable 6-4 victory over neighbouring France.

The match is being played in Group C of League A, which also contains Croatia and the Czech Republic. Those two teams are meeting at the same time.

Yamal’s early finish was highlighted by OptaJoe on social media, with the statistics account describing it as the third-quickest goal England have ever conceded at Wembley. The post listed the first-minute goals scored by Hidegkuti and Ring as the only earlier examples.

For England, the goal represented an immediate setback at the start of a fixture against the side that beat them in the Euro 2024 final. Spain’s pressure forced the error from Guehi, allowing Yamal to take advantage before England could settle into the contest.

Spain’s unbeaten run and status as holders of both the World Cup and European Championship had made them the stronger-ranked side on recent results, while England entered the game after their third-place finish at the 2026 World Cup.