Spain chase 40th unbeaten game against Croatia after Wembley comeback

Spain's comeback victory over England at Wembley on Saturday was the latest in a run of results that few international sides have ever matched. The 3-2 win in their Nations League opener in London extended their unbeaten streak to 39 games, with 30 wins and nine draws since they lost to Colombia in March 2024.

It was also their ninth consecutive win against a former world champion. Over the past two years, Spain have beaten Italy, Germany, France, Uruguay and England, as well as Argentina in the World Cup final, and none of those victories came in a friendly.

"We've got no intention of stopping," coach Luis De la Fuente said after the game.

At Wembley, though, Spain were made to work for it. Lamine Yamal put them ahead after 104 seconds, pouncing on some dawdling by Marc Guéhi, but England hit back with two goals in four minutes before half time.

First, Barcelona's Anthony Gordon finished off a speedy counter-attack spearheaded by Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham to equalise on 36 minutes, then a hapless Marc Cucurella turned Harry Kane's header into his own net with his thigh.

Kane had the chance to extend the lead after the break, but his penalty struck the bar and was ruled out anyway because he slipped and touched the ball twice.

The turning point came from the bench. De la Fuente sent on Álex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal after 56 minutes, and both went on to score.

Baena levelled on the hour with a side-footed finish from the edge of the area. He then set up Oyarzabal, who dinked the ball over James Trafford in a one-on-one to complete the comeback with 16 minutes remaining.

The result gave Spain only their third win at Wembley, following victories in 1981 and 2018.

Their next test comes in Seville on Tuesday (8.45pm), where avoiding defeat against Croatia would take the run to 40 games. De la Fuente insisted his side won't ease off.

"The secret? We'll treat the next game as if it's our last," he said. "These players always want to keep improving."