England secured an impressive Nations League victory over reigning champions Spain.
On a night when the floodlights temporarily went off at Wembley Stadium in the second half, England shone brightly in their first match against the world champions since the 2023 Women’s World Cup final in Sydney, Australia.
Lucia Garcia’s shot hit the woodwork early in the first half before Jess Park put England ahead from the six-yard box after Alessia Russo’s shot had deflected towards her path.
Spain had plenty of opportunities, but England’s defence held firm to put the Lionesses level on four points with fellow leaders Portugal in their group after two games.
Is this a significant victory?
After the disappointment of the 1-1 draw in Portugal on Friday, England will be slightly surprised to end this international break at the top end of their Nations League group. Portugal’s 1-0 victory in Belgium means they share the top spot with England, with Spain just behind on three.
For England, however, this result was about more than the Nations League. The World Cup final defeat to this opposition 18 months ago still hurts, particularly in the manner England found themselves completely unable to fight their way back into the game in the second half. In some ways, it was a role reversal:…
