Spain beat England 3-2 at Wembley after Kane misses penalty

Spain came from behind to beat England 3-2 at Wembley in the opening round of the Nations League, with second-half goals from substitutes Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal completing a dramatic comeback.

England captain Harry Kane missed the chance to extend his side’s lead when his penalty struck the crossbar, before Spain turned the match around with two goals in the space of 14 minutes.

Spain took the lead after only two minutes when Lamine Yamal capitalised on a mistake in possession by Manchester City defender Marc Guehi. Yamal won the ball, drove towards the penalty area and finished past England goalkeeper James Trafford.

England responded after a series of missed opportunities for Spain. Barcelona winger Anthony Gordon levelled in the 36th minute after exchanging passes with Jude Bellingham, the Real Madrid midfielder, during a counter-attack. Gordon then advanced before sending his shot beyond Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon.

Four minutes later, England moved in front. Bayern Munich forward Kane scored with a header which struck Real Madrid defender Marc Cucurella before finding the net, with Cucurella unable to keep the ball out.

The home side were given the opportunity to add a third goal after Bellingham went down following a challenge from Rodri. Kane took responsibility for the spot-kick, but lost his balance and appeared to make contact with the ball using both feet before the effort hit the crossbar.

Spain made England pay almost immediately. Baena restored parity in the 60th minute with a powerful strike from outside the penalty area, just six minutes after Kane’s penalty miss.

The Spain substitute then played a decisive part in the winning goal. Baena supplied Oyarzabal, who broke clear of Trafford and lifted the ball over the goalkeeper to put Spain 3-2 ahead in the 74th minute.

The result completed a swift turnaround for Spain after England had appeared to take control of the contest in the first half. Spain had opened the scoring through Yamal, while Gordon and Kane had put the hosts ahead before the visitors’ late response.

It was Oyarzabal’s finish that settled the match at Wembley, securing three goals for Spain after England had scored twice in the opening half.