Spain were unable to put the finishing touch on a historic year, suffering a narrow defeat against one of the world’s leading football nations, England, in the match that brought both the UEFA Nations League group stage and 2026 to a close. Spain lost 2-3, the same scoreline as their victory at Wembley, but this time they came away without the three points. Luis de la Fuente’s side will progress to the competition’s quarter-finals as group runners-up.

England started the first half with real authority, pressing high and making it difficult for Spain to play out from the back. The home side took time to find their rhythm. Jude Bellingham created one of the first clear chances, forcing Unai Simón into an excellent save. Anthony Gordon, Declan Rice and Kane himself also threatened Spain’s goal. Tuchel’s side dominated much of the opening period, although Spain gradually grew into the game. Lamine Yamal began to make his presence felt down the right, taking on Lewis Hall and looking to make things happen with his pace and dribbling ability. The Spanish winger had a good opportunity, but his shot flew over the crossbar.

Just as it seemed both teams would go into the break level, an incident changed the scoreline. Elliot Anderson played a through ball to Harry Kane, who won a penalty following an intervention by Pau Cubarsí. The England striker, recently named Ballon d’Or winner, made no mistake from the spot, putting his side 1-0 ahead in the 45th minute. It was a blow for Spain, who had managed to restore balance to the contest but had failed to turn their opportunities into goals.

The second half was not for the faint-hearted. Spain started uncertainly, and England made the most of it, turning their chances into goals. In the 53rd minute, Konsa extended England’s lead with a header and, just four minutes later, White scored their third to make it 3-0.

Any other team might have thrown in the towel at such a scoreline, but Tuchel’s men had not counted on how difficult it is to beat the world champions. Luis de la Fuente made changes from the bench, and Spain began to play the kind of football their fans have come to expect. Oyarzabal pulled one back from the penalty spot in the 65th minute, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Spain raised their game and pinned England back in their own penalty area, launching wave after wave of attacks. Nico Williams, who had just come on, scored Spain’s second after being set up by Lamine Yamal. The Metropolitano believed in a comeback, and Spain gave them reason to hope, creating chances right up until the final seconds of the match.

Despite their efforts and a tremendous late surge, Luis de la Fuente’s side suffered a narrow defeat and finish second in UEFA Nations League Group A3. Spain had already secured their place in the quarter-finals during the previous international window and were now looking to finish top of a group featuring some very challenging opponents. At his pre-match press conferences, the Spain head coach had repeatedly stressed that the more you win, the closer you come to defeat. And Spain have won so much that they have now reached 44 consecutive competitive matches without defeat, a run that has already made history in world football.

Spain bring a historic year to a close with a less than perfect result, but this match has shown that the team are ready for any challenge and will never give up.