England suffers heartbreak again as Oyarzabal sinks them and Kane’s penalty goes astray

Mikel Oyarzabal came off the bench to haunt England once again, scoring a dramatic late winner as Spain beat England 3-2 in the UEFA Nations League at Wembley, according to Goal. The Real Sociedad forward, who also scored the decisive goal against England in the Euro 2024 final, struck in the 74th minute after Alex Baena had levelled the score for the visitors on the hour mark. Oyarzabal capitalised on an incisive pass from his teammate, keeping his composure to lift a delicate chip over goalkeeper James Trafford, shifting the momentum in Luis de la Fuente’s side’s favour.

The dramatic finale might have been avoided had Harry Kane converted a pivotal 55th-minute penalty awarded after Jude Bellingham was fouled. Goal.com reports that the striker slipped and smashed his spot-kick against the crossbar, but also broke a rare rule by accidentally kicking the ball twice, as his standing left leg made contact before his right foot. IFAB Law 14 clarifies: “If, before the ball is in play, one of the following occurs: the kicker accidentally kicks the ball with both feet simultaneously or the ball touches their non-kicking foot or leg immediately after the kick: if the ball enters the goal from the kick, the kick is retaken; if the ball does not enter the goal from the kick, an indirect free kick is awarded.”

The penalty drama followed an open first half in which Spain took an early lead within two minutes through Lamine Yamal, who capitalised on an error by Marc Guehi to curl a shot past Trafford. Ferran Torres wasted two clear one-on-one chances to extend Spain’s lead, and England hit back with a quickfire brace — Anthony Gordon equalising in the 36th minute before Kane headed England in front four minutes later. England next face the Czech Republic, while Spain take on Croatia in their following Nations League fixture.