Toronto Star
· collected 2026-09-26 · by James Robson The Associated Press
Spain extended its unbeaten run to 39 games by overcoming England 3-2 in the Nations League at Wembley on Saturday. Mikel Oyarzabal, who had previously beaten England in the European Championship final, sealed the victory with a goal in the 74th minute after substitute Alex Baena equalized for Spain earlier. Despite leading early and missing a penalty kick, England struggled against a dominant Spanish team, which has now won its first game since clinching the World Cup title last year.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-02,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Based on the provided articles, here's a summary of key information regarding England's upcoming UEFA Nations League match against Spain:
### Match Details
- Date and Time: Saturday, September 26, at 7:45pm BST (18:45 GMT)
- Venue: Wembley Stadium, London, United Kingdom
- Tournament: UEFA Nations League 2026-27 Group A3
### TV Channels for Viewing
- United Kingdom: ITV1
- Spain: RTVE PLAY
- Middle East and North Africa: beIN SPORTS
- India: Sony Sports Network
- South Africa: DStv Stream
- United States: FOX Sports, FuboTV, ViX
### Team News
#### England
- Withdrawals due to injuries or load management:
- Declan Rice (injury)
- Cole Palmer (muscle injury)
- Marcus Rashford (knock)
- Kobbie Mainoo
- Tino Livramento
- Late call-ups:
- James Garner
- Morgan Gibbs-White
#### Spain
- Several players missing due to injuries, including Favi, Pedro Porro, Borja Iglesias, and Joan Garcia.
### Predicted Lineups
England (3-4-3)
- Goalkeeper: Jordan Pickford
- Defenders: Ben White, Harry Maguire, Eric Dier
- Midfielders: James Maddison, Declan Rice (if fit), Jude Bellingham, Trent Alexander-Arnold
- Forwards: Phil Foden, Raheem Sterling, Jack Grealish
Spain (4-3-3)
- Goalkeeper: Unai Simón
- Defenders: Marcos Llorente, Eric García, Diego Carlos, Jesús Navas
- Midfielders: Thiago Alcântara, Rodrigo Hernández, Sergio Busquets
- Forwards: Pablo Sarabia, Gerard Moreno, Ferran Torres
### Key Points
- England's Squad Changes: The late call-ups of Garner and Gibbs-White indicate potential defensive or midfield reinforcements for England.
- Spain's Unbeaten Streak: Spain enters the match with an unbeaten run over two-and-a-half years.
- Tuchel Under Pressure: Manager Thomas Tuchel faces pressure due to England’s disappointing performance in the recent World Cup and ongoing media scrutiny.
### Match Preview
The game promises to be a high-stakes affair, as it's not only the start of the UEFA Nations League campaign but also an opportunity for both teams to build momentum ahead of major tournaments like EURO 2028. With key players on both sides unavailable due to injuries, tactical adjustments and player rotations will play crucial roles in determining the outcome.
### Match Blog
- Coverage: Live updates and expert analysis from Standard Sport’s match blog at Wembley Stadium.
- Insight Provided by: Dom Smith
This summary should provide a comprehensive overview of the upcoming England vs Spain UEFA Nations League match, including team news, predicted lineups, and the context surrounding the game.
Written for “England vs Spain UEFA Nations League” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 20 other(s) covering the same event.
World Cup winner Spain extended its unbeaten run to 39 games by rallying to a 3-2 win against England in the Nations League on Saturday.
asserted
Spain → extend → Saturday
Substitute Mikel Oyarzabal came back to haunt England with his 74th-minute winner at Wembley.
asserted
Oyarzabal → come → Wembley
Oyarzabal also scored the winning goal when Spain beat England in the final of the European Championship in 2024.
asserted
Spain → score → 2024
On this occasion he calmly chipped goalkeeper James Trafford from close range to complete the world champion’s comeback after trailing 2-1 at halftime.
asserted
he → chip → halftime
England was punished for missing a penalty — to go 3-1 ahead — and for mistakes that led to Spain’s first two goals.
asserted
that → punish → goals
“We couldn’t unfortunately convert the penalty, that may have been the decisive moment because I think then Spain would have maybe for the first time believed that their long run of unbeaten games ends here,” England coach Thomas Tuchel told broadcaster ITV Sport.
uncertain
Tuchel → convert → Sport
“The third goal, I think, was the only goal that they really scored.
asserted
they → think → that
In Spain’s first game since beating Argentina in the World Cup final, its long-running unbeaten streak was put under serious threat.
asserted
streak → beat → threat
But Luis de la Fuente’s team responded like champions to make a winning start to its Nations League campaign.
asserted
team → respond → campaign
Lamine Yamal got Spain off to a flying start, needing less than two minutes to score when he dispossessed England defender Marc Guehi and fired low past Trafford into the far corner.
asserted
he → get → corner
Spain dominated the chances and the scorer of the winning goal in the World Cup final, Ferran Torres, twice failed to make the most of opportunities when through on goal.
asserted
scorer → dominate → goal
After surviving those scares England leveled through Antony Gordon after a swift breakaway in the 36th, combining with Jude Bellingham and sliding a low shot past Unai Simon.
asserted
England → survive → Simon
England went ahead only four minutes later through Kane, whose header deflected off Marc Cucurella.
asserted
header → go → Cucurella
Early in the second half England had the chance to extend its lead when Rodri brought down Kane in the box and after VAR review was awarded a penalty.
asserted
Rodri → have → penalty
But Spain was let off the hook when Kane slipped during his run.
asserted
Kane → let → run
That miss proved even more costly when, on the hour, substitute Alex Baena curled a low shot into the corner to level the game again, with Nico O’Reilly guilty of losing the ball close to goal.
asserted
O’Reilly → prove → goal
Spain completed its comeback as Oyarzabal coolly converted from Baena’s assist.
asserted
Oyarzabal → complete → assist
“We had a terrible start, the worst start possible.
asserted
We → have → start
It makes it so difficult to be behind against this kind of team,” Tuchel said.
asserted
Tuchel → make → team
“There will always be moments where you suffer against a team like this, the details matter.
asserted
details → suffer → this
It matters that you take your chances and you reduce the decisive mistakes.
asserted
you → matter → mistakes
Modric’s enduring class
Even at the age of 41, Luka Modric is still delivering for Croatia.
asserted
Modric → endure → Croatia
The veteran midfielder scored his nation’s opening goal in a 2-1 win away to Czech Republic.
asserted
midfielder → score → Republic
Spain tops Group A3 ahead of Croatia on goals scored.
asserted
Spain → top → goals
Zeki Amdouni scored two goals in Switzerland’s 3-0 win away to North Macedonia, and Joel Pohjanpalo scored a hat trick as Finland routed bottom-ranked San Marino 7-0.
asserted
Finland → score → Marino
The Aporia
.jpg?width=1200&auto=webp&quality=75)
