LONDON — Welcome back “Proper England”. When Spain‘s players close their eyes to try and sleep off the disappointment of this 1-0 defeat to England at Wembley, they’ll see nothing but a white wall in front of them. England’s gameplan was executed effectively: frustrate Spain, hit them on the counter, and secure a key victory on their path towards automatic qualification for next year’s World Cup in Brazil.
It was the type of victory which had Sarina Wiegman’s fingerprints all over it and was forged from a similar mentality to the one which carried them on their rollercoaster ride to the Euro 2025 crown. Back then we heard players frequently refer to their “Proper England” mantra, which when boiled down effectively meant finding any which way possible to win a match.
The phrase was born after their 1-0 win over Spain in February 2025, and just over a year and a Euro triumph on, we saw a similar performance on a chilly Tuesday night, one inspired by guts, determination and unwavering focus.
This match was all about getting to the next World Cup as quickly as possible, and avoiding the unwanted nuisance of having to navigate the playoffs. With Ukraine and Iceland also in their group, it’ll likely boil down to the two England-Spain matches for who tops the group and qualifies automatically for Brazil.
It’s impossible to escape recent nostalgia when it comes to England’s matches with Spain given they contested the last two major tournament women’s finals. Olga Carmona‘s first-half goal won Spain that infamous World Cup final in 2023 while it was England who took the Euro 2025 final in Basel on penalties.
On that historic night last July, England had 35% of the possession, managed just eight shots compared to Spain’s 22, and needed the lottery of penalties to claim their second Euros crown in three years. They rode their luck at times, with Spain wasteful in front of goal, but the Lionesses were ruthless when it mattered.
It was the brand of champions, and we saw something similar on Tuesday evening though overall, this was altogether a superior England performance. Since they last met, Spain have won the Nations League and were undefeated heading to Wembley having conceded just a single goal since Toone scored against them in Basel.
England’s journey to Tuesday night was a little different, as they started their post-Euros life with a 3-1 defeat to Brazil in Manchester. Since then they’ve found better form, but both sides have been navigating inevitable post-tournament evolution.
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Spain have a new manager in Sonia Bermudez, while both were missing key personnel on Tuesday. England were without skipper Leah Williamson as she recovers from a hamstring injury, while Ella Toone is also a long-term absentee.
On the opposite side, the world’s best player Aitana Bonmatí has been out since December with a broken leg. How Spain missed her, their indispensable metronome in the middle of the park, who can unpick a defensive system with the briefest glimpse and flick of her heel.
But England covered Williamson’s absence well, with Lotte Wubben-Moy and Esme Morgan forging a new partnership in the heart of the Lionesses’ defence. You used to be able to time your watch by Wiegman’s team selections, such was their regularity. But no more. The decision to start Lucia Kendall in midfield along with Georgia Stanway and Keira Walsh was a surprise, but it worked.
Kendall may not have seen a huge amount of the ball, but her pressing and work rate help frustrate Spain when they navigated one of their long passages of play with the ball. Walsh also had a touch more freedom than we’ve seen when England have played the world’s top sides – a fitting way to mark her 100th England cap on a day where Walsh also captained the side. But this was — as it always is between these two — about small margins.
Lauren Hemp‘s goal after just three minutes — the quickest by a Lioness at the “new” Wembley — proved to be the clincher. It came from a dangerous corner, which bounced around to find the tireless Alessia Russo. She flicked the ball up from a prone position on the floor to Hemp, who somehow twisted herself to scissor kick an effort on target. Alexia Putellas was on the line, but failed to keep it out, and after a brief delay to check the goalline technology, Hemp spun away with England taking an early lead.
From there, it let England defend, granting Spain possession. England sat back in their own half, frustrated Spain, forcing them to mix up their distribution as they tried in vain to break down the line. As the frustration grew, uncharacteristic Spanish errors crept in, and the longer the half wore on, the more England spun off shoulders and looked for their own opportunities.
Key to that tactical rigidity was Lauren James‘ work rate on the left flank, frequently finding herself behind Alex Greenwood, but always looking to fling the ball forward. And despite the deficit in possession and territory, England had the better of the chances: Hemp hit the post in the 18th minute after a wonderful one-two with Bronze while James fired over after twisting Ona Batlle into the ground. But still there was this nigging danger that Spain had the potential to pounce and hurt England.
The second half was more open and Kendall and Russo both had decent chances but it was Spain who looked far more likely to score. Vicky López hit the post, Carmona saw a deflected shot ricochet off Bronze and onto the bar, with the ball bouncing bounce down on the line. And in the closing stages, Edna Imade had a close-range header wonderfully saved by Hannah Hampton while Lopez failed to connect at the far post right at the death to snatch a point.
So as full-time broke, it was Wiegman who strode confidently onto the Wembley pitch. Any win against Spain should be treasured. Her tactics worked, and England profited, securing a priceless victory as they look to secure their spot at the World Cup as quickly as possible. So ahead of the rematch in Mallorca on June 5, it’s advantage England thanks to a familiar type of win.
