London, Sep 27 (V7N)- World champions Spain defeated England 3-2 at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night, September 26, in the opening round of the UEFA Nations League, extending their unbeaten run to 39 matches.

Lamine Yamal gave Spain an early lead in the second minute after England defender Marc Guéhi lost possession inside his own half. The young Spanish forward seized the opportunity and finished to put the visitors ahead.

England responded strongly. Anthony Gordon equalized in the 36th minute before captain Harry Kane completed the turnaround just four minutes later, giving the hosts a 2-1 advantage.

Spain restored parity in the 60th minute after another costly England mistake. Álex Baena intercepted a misplaced pass from Nico O'Reilly and fired the ball into the net to make it 2-2.

The visitors then completed the comeback in the 74th minute. Mikel Oyarzabal produced a clever chip over England goalkeeper James Trafford to score the decisive goal. Oyarzabal had also scored the winning goal against England in the Euro 2024 final.

England had an opportunity to equalize from the penalty spot in the second half, but Kane's effort struck the underside of the crossbar after the striker slipped during his attempt.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente said his team adapted well to the different situations during the match and maintained control despite England's attacking quality.

England captain Kane said his side competed on equal terms with the world and European champions, while coach Thomas Tuchel described the opening period as the "worst" possible start. Tuchel praised England's response but said major individual errors contributed to Spain's first two goals.

Croatia Beat Czech Republic

In another Group A3 encounter, Croatia defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 under new coach Slaven Bilić.

Veteran captain Luka Modrić, 41, put Croatia ahead two minutes after halftime. Adam Karabec equalized in the 54th minute, but Mario Pašalić scored in the 77th minute to secure all three points for Croatia.

Scotland Held by Slovenia

In Group B1, Scotland were held to a 0-0 draw by Slovenia. Scotland showed attacking intent in their first match under new coach Sébastien Pocognoli but were unable to find the breakthrough.

Switzerland, meanwhile, began their League B campaign with a 3-0 victory over North Macedonia.

In Group C1, Finland produced the biggest win of the night, thrashing San Marino 7-0. Joel Pohjanpalo scored a hat-trick as Finland dominated the contest.

END/SMA/AJ