Defiant Luis de la Fuente insists Spain 'controlled' superpower England

Luis de la Fuente remained defiant following his side's dramatic 3-2 victory over England at Wembley. The Spain boss insisted that his team dictated the flow of the game for the vast majority of the evening, despite a brief period where the hosts managed to take a 2-1 lead into the break.

The visitors opened the scoring through Lamine Yamal in the second minute, but England responded quickly with goals from Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane. "I think the game was under control most of the time, apart from the six or seven minutes where we got disconnected and they punished us," De la Fuente told reporters.

The momentum shifted decisively in the second half when Harry Kane missed a penalty, hitting the crossbar. Spain capitalized on the reprieve, with Alex Baena leveling the score and Mikel Oyarzabal completing the comeback in the 74th minute. This result extends Spain’s remarkable unbeaten streak to 39 matches across all competitions.

All the praise goes to the players. We've formed a team that goes beyond professional level. The players adapt to the models we impose and I respect their ambition. Luis de la Fuente

De la Fuente praised individual contributions, specifically highlighting Ferran Torres's work rate and the maturity shown by Yamal. The manager emphasized that the squad's collective spirit and willingness to sacrifice for each other were the keys to navigating the high-pressure environment.

Looking ahead, Spain now prepares for a significant encounter against Croatia on Tuesday. With both teams coming off victories—Croatia having beaten Czechia 2-1—the upcoming clash is set to be a tactical heavyweight meeting as Spain eyes a 40-game unbeaten milestone.