De la Fuente says Spain have 'no intention of stopping winning' after 3-2 comeback win over England
Spain come from behind at Wembley to extend record unbeaten run
Spain’s stellar unbeaten streak looked under pressure at Wembley, but Luis de la Fuente’s side came from behind in the second half to beat England 3-2 and start their Nations League campaign.
Lamine Yamal put the world champions ahead after just 105 seconds, capitalising on a Marc Guehi mistake, but Spain found themselves behind at the break after goals from Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane.
A slow start to the second half saw Rodri give away a penalty, but Spain were given a reprieve when Kane sent his spot-kick crashing against the bar. Two substitutes then flipped the script, with Alex Baena equalising before setting up Mikel Oyarzabal for the winner.
De la Fuente praises resilience and ambition
Spain are now unbeaten in their last 39 matches across 90 minutes, extending the record run among all European nations in all competitions (W30 D9). La Roja have won each of their last eight competitive matches.
“We are very happy with the result, with the performance, and for having shown the world that we have a lot of ambition and a strong desire to win,” De la Fuente told Teledeporte.
“It is true that there were moments when we had to suffer. But this is England. We talked at half-time. We had the game under control; we had three clear chances. We continue to show that this team never gives up, that we have no intention of stopping winning.”
“I’m lucky to have these players. Anyone can step onto the pitch and be ready. It’s about trying to make changes. They have exceptional talent.”
Missed chances and defensive lapses
Spain could have been out of sight in the first 30 minutes, with Ferran Torres having a goal disallowed for offside before he saw two golden one-on-one chances against James Trafford go begging. Dani Olmo and Yamal also wasted opportunities before the Three Lions scored.
Spain went into half-time knowing they had conceded more goals in those 45 minutes (two) than they did in their World Cup-winning campaign (one).
“We conceded both of England’s goals; it was a moment of disconnection,” De la Fuente said in his press conference. “They could hurt us, and we weren’t able to fight them back. Generally speaking, the game was under control against a superpower. We all played our part, and I think we had the game under control against such a powerful opponent.”
Unbeaten streak
Asked about the current unbeaten streak, De la Fuente added:
“What this generation of footballers is doing is truly remarkable. They never stop striving to improve. The statistics speak for themselves. It’s incredibly difficult to replicate what Spain is achieving.”
“We’ll approach the match against Croatia as if it were our last. These players are always eager to keep developing.”