Spain defeats England 3-2 at Wembley... UNL's first win

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Ahn Hong-seok = Spain, the 2026 North and Central America World Cup champion, defeated England and won the first edition of the UEFA Nations League (UNL).

Spain defeated England 3-2 in the first match of the 2026-2027 UNL Group A3 held at Wembley Stadium in London, England on the 27th (Korean time).

Spain, which lifted the World Cup trophy two months ago, did not miss the opponent's two mistakes and scored a goal.

Two minutes into the first half, Spain's 'divine' Ramin Yamal stole the ball from England defender Mark Guehi and scored the first goal.

Spain gave up two goals in a row and was down 1-2 in the 15th minute of the second half, but tied the game with Alex Baena's sharp ground ball mid-range shot after receiving Dani Olmo's pass.

Earlier, England's Nico O'Reilly's passing mistake led to Olmo's assist.

Spain turned the tide and decided the game in the 29th minute of the second half with striker Mikel Oyarzabal's chip shot following Baena's penetration pass.

England also showed great performance, turning the game around at one point.

In the 36th minute of the first half, Anthony Gordon scored a 1-1 equalizer during a counterattack, and just four minutes later, Kane's header followed O'Reilly's cross.

Kane also regretted missing a penalty kick taken by Jude Bellingham in the 9th minute of the second half when the team was ahead 2-1. Kane's foot slipped and fell just before shooting, and his missed shot hit the crossbar.

Spain, with whom coach Luis De La Fuente, who won the World Cup, renewed his contract, continued undefeated in 39 international matches (30 wins, 9 draws).

Coach Thomas Tuchel's England tried to wash away the pain of their defeat in the North and Central America World Cup semifinals against Argentina, but fell apart due to two mistakes.

In another match in the same group, Croatia, under new coach Slaven Bilic, defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 in an away game in Prague, Czech Republic.

Croatia, whose '41-year-old captain' Luka Modric scored the first goal in the second minute of the second half, gave up an equalizer to Adam Baravec in the ninth minute of the second half, but won the game with Marko Pishalic's winning goal in the 32nd minute of the second half.