Super-sub Claudia Pina clinched victory for Spain as a late brace discounted Alessia Russo’s opener for the Lionesses.
The loss for the Lionesses leaves them in second in the Group 3 standings, with Spain stealing the top spot despite February’s loss at Wembley Stadium.
Read the match report and player ratings for both England Spain below.
The Lineups
SPA: Coll; Batlle, Paredes, Aleixandri, Carmona; Patri, Putellas, Bonmatí; Caldentey, Esther, Paralluelo
ENG: Hampton; Bronze, Williamson, Greenwood, Charles; Walsh, Stanway, Park; Mead, Russo, Hemp
The Action
Spain looked to draw blood early as Leah Williamson’s blunder allowed Arsenal teammate Mariona Caldentey to storm forward in possession before sending a cross into the area. Esther, in hot form for NWSL side Gotham FC, fired her strike on the turn but was halted by Hannah Hampton who put in a brilliant save to deny Spain early.
A brilliant ball from Keira Walsh opened up the Lionesses for a counterattack as Alessia Russo stormed forward in space before taking her touch past the Spanish defence and burying her strike across the face and into the back of the net. The Spanish players weren’t happy by the decision after complaints that Niamh Charles had fouled Salma Paralluelo in the build up.
England escaped jail just moments later as Spain pressed forward with a whipping cross that was intervened in the air by the arm of Niamh Charles. Despite the handball, the referee let play continue much to the relief of the Lionesses.
Spain found their equaliser in the 60th minute after impact sub Claudia Pina left her mark within seconds of being on the pitch. Taking her touch past Missy Bo Kearns and Jess Carter with ease, the Barcelona forward buried her strike into the far right corner with class and composure.
England began to unravel as Spain continued to pile on the pressure. The deadlock was broken in the 70th minute as Pina found herself with space on the edge of the area. A clinical strike let the ball curl away from Hampton and into the bottom right corner in astounding fashion.
The Lionesses completely struggled to garner any attacking momentum as the game ran down. The substitution to bring Ella Toone on seemed like a routined afterthought rather than a tactical implementation in hopes of saving the game.
The victory for Spain awards the side the top spot in the Group 3 standings, qualifying themselves for the semi-finals of the Nations League alongside Sweden, France and Germany. The loss away means that England are forced to settle for second in the standings.
England Player Ratings
Hannah Hampton – 4/10 – A great save early on to keep the Spanish out but some really wobbly moments later on as Spain mounted on the pressure.
Lucy Bronze – 7/10 – You don’t notice how valuable she is to this squad until she is off the pitch. England really struggled when she was replaced later on.
Leah Williamson – 7/10 – A handful of blunders that nearly proved to be costly, but her composure did grow as the game went on.
Alex Greenwood – 6/10 – Not her usual clinical best from the back, but had some bright moments.
Niamh Charles – 3/10 – Struggled and was lucky not to pay for it early on.
Keira Walsh – 6/10 – A fantastic assist to open the scoring but otherwise struggled to keep up with the pace of the Spanish midfield as the game went on.
Georgia Stanway – 7/10 – England fell a part in the midfield third when Stanway was taken off the ground.
Jess Park – 6/10 – It is hard to keep up with the best midfield in global football but Park did a valuable job in the opening stages. Really fell off for physicality and composure as the game went on.
Beth Mead – 5/10 – Struggled to make a real impact in her 55 minutes.
Alessia Russo – 7/10 – True striker’s finish to give England the lead but struggled later on as little service was provided to her up the pitch.
Lauren Hemp – 5/10 – Had little to no service all match.
Missy Bo Kearns (46′ for Stanway) – 5/10 – Really struggled, a hard debut to make against this Spanish midfield.
Jess Carter (55′ for Bronze) – 3/10 – England got worse once Bronze was taken off the pitch, and Carter was completely skinned by Pina.
Chloe Kelly (55′ for Mead) – 4/10 – No impact but made some good defensive actions.
Ella Toone (75′ for Park) – N/A
Spain Player Ratings
Catalina Coll – 7/10 – Russo’s finish was great and she played out the rest of the game well.
Ona Batlle – 8/10 – Kept Hemp quiet and put on a strong display.
Laia Aleixandri – 6/10 – Caught out by Russo and often had her shoulder rolled. Grew as the game went on.
Irene Paredes – 7/10 – Similar to Aleixandri but her distribution was really valuable in the build up.
Olga Carmona – 7/10 – Like Batlle, kept both Mead and Kelly to little impact. A strong showing.
Patricia Guijarro – 9/10 – Should be in contention for the Ballon d’Or. The best central defensive midfielder in the world right now and tonight was no different.
Alexia Putellas – 8/10 – Incredibly strong and composed against the rotating English midfield.
Aitana Bonmatí – 8/10 – Instrumental as always, an absolute workhouse.
Mariona Caldentey – 7/10 – Not one of her loudest performances, but still picked up possession in valuable areas.
Salma Paralluelo – 5/10 – Struggled and was rightfully replaced by the eventual match winner in Pina.
Esther González – 6/10 – Really rattled the Lionesses defence early and played a vital role in raising the pressure, but finished her stint quietly.
Claudia Pina (58′ for Paralluelo) – 10/10 – Sensational. Complete class and composure, Pina made an instant impact and won the game for Spain. Took the game in her stride and was world class.
Lucía García (82′ for Esther) – N/A
Jana Fernandez (89′ for Carmona) – N/A
