England vs Spain: score, comeback and goals at Wembley

Spain beat England 3–2 at Wembley Stadium on 26 September 2026 in the opening round of 2026/27 UEFA Nations League Group A3. Lamine Yamal opened the scoring, England turned the match around before half-time, and Spain responded after the break through Álex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal. Harry Kane also missed a penalty while England were ahead.

The final score appears both in UEFA’s Matchday 1 round-up and on the England senior men’s team page. The chronology below is restricted to what UEFA’s report actually states: the supplied sources do not provide the penalty’s minute, identify who was fouled, or include a complete event-by-event match sheet.

The score and the sequence of the comeback

Yamal scored inside the opening two minutes to put Spain ahead. England responded through Anthony Gordon on the break. Kane then headed the ball, which deflected off Marc Cucurella and went in, sending the hosts into half-time with a 2–1 lead.

UEFA’s wording matters when attributing England’s second goal correctly: the move featured a Kane header but also a deflection off Cucurella. The available round-up does not clarify whether the official record credited the striker or listed an own goal. Kane’s involvement should therefore not be converted into a goal officially awarded to him without the specific match sheet.

Kane missed a second-half penalty. UEFA says the momentum swung from that point, but this is the report’s narrative description rather than standalone evidence of a tactical cause. Substitute Álex Baena equalised and later supplied Oyarzabal for the winner with 16 minutes remaining.

What is confirmed about Yamal

Lamine Yamal’s role is unambiguous in the available account: he scored the opening goal inside two minutes. The supplied sources do not name the assist provider, describe the finish or give the exact second. Those details should not be added to the reconstruction.

The RFEF men’s national-team page also lists Yamal among the forwards in the squad displayed on 29 September. That page confirms his presence in the group at that point, but the supplied material does not make it the specific Wembley match record. The goal attribution comes from UEFA’s round-up.

Baena drove Spain’s response

Álex Baena was directly involved in both Spanish goals after the interval. He first restored parity and then created Oyarzabal’s winner. It is the fullest individual contribution described in the round-up: one goal and one assist from a player who began as a substitute.

The same RFEF page lists Baena among the midfielders in the squad. However, his entry minute, the player he replaced and the precise minute of the equaliser do not appear in the sources provided. What can be stated is that he appeared as a substitute and changed the score twice through actions recorded by UEFA.

Oyarzabal decided another game against England

Mikel Oyarzabal scored to make it 3–2 with 16 minutes of regulation time remaining, from Baena’s pass. UEFA identifies him as the match-winner and makes a factual comparison with the UEFA EURO 2024 final, which Oyarzabal also decided against England.

The forward is also included in the squad published by the RFEF. For this match, however, the consulted sources establish only his winning goal and Baena’s assist. They do not support conclusions about positioning, attacking shape or coaching adjustments. Explaining the comeback here means ordering the documented events, not filling gaps with an unpublished tactical reading.

What is known about Kane’s penalty

UEFA’s account states that Kane missed a penalty while England were leading and before Baena equalised. That sequence places the kick in the second half, between England’s 2–1 half-time advantage and Spain’s equaliser. The supplied text does not give the minute, say whether it was saved or put wide, or identify who committed or suffered the foul.

The verifiable statement is therefore that “Kane missed the penalty,” without crediting a goalkeeper with a save or inventing how the penalty was awarded. England’s page confirms the 2–3 score, venue, date and full-time status, but its available extract also lacks those incident details.

A completed result and the Group A3 context

This is not live coverage: the match ended on 26 September, and this retrospective is published on 29 September 2026. England’s page identifies it as the team’s last match and displays the final score, while UEFA includes it among Saturday’s opening-round results.

UEFA’s Matchday 2 round-up says Spain vs Croatia and Czechia vs England were scheduled for 29 September. Official pages should be checked for scores, line-ups or subsequent changes because this article does not anticipate those results.

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