England vs Spain LIVE: Result and final score as Lionesses defeat world champions at Wembley
England 1-0 Spain: Jess Park scored the only goal at Wembley as the Lionesses defeated the world champions
England defeated Spain at Wembley as Jess Park’s goal secured victory for the Lionesses in the rematch of the Women’s World Cup final.
Park’s finish from close range, following Alessia Russo’s turn and dribble into the box, secured England their best victory in almost 18 months and will give Sarina Wiegman’s side hope ahead of this summer’s European Championships.
World champions Spain had plenty of chances at Wembley, with Lucia Garcia hitting the crossbar early in the game and England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton having to make a string of important saves in the second half.
But England survived waves of pressure to close out victory. England drew their opening Nations League match in Portugal but victory against Spain, who defeated Belgium on Friday, is a boost to their chances of reaching the finals.
Follow all the latest updates from Wembley in our live blog below:
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Why Lucy Bronze remains as important as ever for England as Euros plans take shape
Another meeting with Spain brought a very different outcome for Lucy Bronze. For England’s game-changing, talismanic right-back, the World Cup final defeat in Sydney was cruel for two reasons. Olga Carmona’s winning goal came at Bronze’s expense, after being caught venturing up-field. Bronze will be 35 by the time of the next World Cup in 2027. It was not unreasonable to wonder if that had been her final chance.
But at Wembley, as England triumphed against the world champions, Bronze’s display underlined that she remains as important to the Lionesses as ever. That may be an obvious point, given Bronze’s illustrious career as a five-time Champions League winner and former world player of the year, but Sarina Wiegman has considered Bronze’s role, adjusted it slightly, and concluded that it is fundamental to the tactical versatility she demands from her side.
Why Lucy Bronze remains as important as ever for England as Euros plans take shape
Sarina Wiegman highlights ‘massive improvement’ Lauren James has made to her game
England manager Sarina Wiegman praised Lauren James for the “massive improvement” she has made to the defensive side of her game as the Lionesses defeated world champions Spain 1-0 at Wembley.
Chelsea forward James impressed with her ability on the ball in the first half against Spain but Wiegman said she was “proud” of how the 23-year-old contributed to England’s defensive efforts in the second half.
For the second game in a row, James tracked back to help Chelsea team-mate Niamh Charles, as the Lionesses withstood pressure from the World Cup winners to claim a morale-boosting win.
Sarina Wiegman highlights ‘massive improvement’ Lauren James has made to her game
The two sides of a ‘proper English’ performance as Lionesses defeat Spain
Sarina Wiegman said England were not playing to “beat the critics” but a victory over world champions Spain will go a long way to restore belief in the Lionesses ahead of the European Championships this summer. It was a 1-0 in Sydney that won Spain their first Women’s World Cup a little over 18 months ago. At Wembley, England earned a little revenge with another 1-0 win in their first meeting since, but more importantly for them was the significance this brings for the future. The European champions can hold their heads up high again after beating the world’s champions.
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The two sides of a ‘proper English’ performance as Lionesses defeat Spain
Lauren James named Player of the Match
Lauren James has been named the Player of the Match!
Ever the talisman, she was the driving force behind England’s attack throughout the match, creating chances with piercing passes and mazy dribbling.
She even went close to scoring herself in the second half, but was denied by Coll.
Wiegman lauds England defenders
The Lionesses back line shone as they battled to a 1-0 win over Spain. Lucy Bronze in particular rolled back the years to produce a vintage performance, keeping Aitana Bonmati quiet for much of the 90 minutes, while Millie Bright, Leah Williamson, and goalkeeper Hannah Hampton all produced equally impressive performances.
Wiegman recognized this at full time, saying: “We know we have to defend really well to keep the ball out of the net.
“We had a couple of opportunities but overall we’re very happy with how the team stood up and how hard we worked to get the win over the line.”
Wiegman: "We fought for every yard."
Wiegman also highlighted her side’s fighting spirit in their nervy win over Spain.
She said: “I’m really happy with the win. It was an absolute team performance and we fought for every yard. A very intense game and we had some very good moments in the game.
“I think the fight and the togetherness is the most important thing and it always starts with that. It helps to improve your game.
“Of course it gives a boost when you win then. At the same time you want to see improvements and that is what I saw today.”
Sarina Wiegman: "We showed again tonight that we can compete with the best"
Sarina Wiegman sees tonights win as a statement of intent for her England side, saying they proved they can compete with the best.
She said: “Of course it gives us a boost. We showed again tonight that we can compete with the best. We have shown that before and it was really good to show that again, maybe for ourselves.
“The fans who were in the stadium I think enjoyed the game. We’re on a journey and we had four friendlies where we tried out lots of things. Some things go really well and some things don’t go really well. The games are not easy anymore.”
Montse Tomé: "We deserved more"
Montse Tomé has told the press that her Spain side deserved more from the match, and it is tough to disagree with her.
With the majority of the possession and plenty of attacking guile, they will be beyond frustrated to make the trip home empty handed.
She said: "I think the players performed at a high level. We played to win."
Toni Duggan is recognized for her time in the England fold
Toni Duggan was presented with a framed England shirt before the match today in recognition of her time playing for England, during which she made 79 appearances and scored 22 goals.
England miss out on Group A top spot
England’s three points tonight take them to a tally of four for this Nations League campaign, but results elsewhere are keeping them off top spot.
Portugal’s one-goal win over Belgium means they match England for points, goal difference, goals for and goals against, though they will remain in first place until the next international break in April.
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