Spain Pay England Back With Win To End Lionesses Nations League Ambition
Written by Oluwaseun Oyediji
Claudia Pina assumed the role of a super substitute as the world champions avenged their earlier defeat against their visitors at Wembley in February.
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England faced elimination from the UEFA Women’s Nations League finals for the second consecutive time, succumbing to a 2-1 loss against Spain, despite Alessia Russo giving the Lionesses an early lead in Barcelona on Tuesday night.
Sarina Wiegman’s team needed a victory over the world champions to advance to the next stage of the competition, and they appeared to be on track to achieve this until the coach’s substitutions negatively impacted their performance.
In stark contrast, Spain’s Claudia Pina entered the match as a substitute and capitalized on the space available to her, scoring twice within 10 minutes to reverse the game’s momentum.
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The night seemed challenging for England, as Spain relentlessly attacked their goal early on, with Hannah Hampton making a particularly remarkable save in the opening minutes.
However, a moment of brilliance from Keira Walsh set up Russo perfectly. With a precise through ball, the in-form Arsenal forward was destined to score, curling the ball past Cata Coll to break the deadlock midway through the first half.
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Nevertheless, the Lionesses could only rely on their luck for so long. After Niamh Charles was fortunate to have penalty appeals for a handball dismissed and Esther Gonzalez missed several half-chances, it was Pina who ultimately delivered the breakthrough that Spain had been seeking, skillfully darting into the box and finding the far bottom corner.
England was aware of the potential consequences of allowing the Barcelona star too much space, yet they repeated the mistake just minutes later, permitting Pina to strike a shot past Hampton, securing all three points for her team.
This victory guarantees La Roja’s spot in the Nations League finals, scheduled for later this year, providing them the opportunity to defend the title they claimed in February of the previous year. Meanwhile, the Lionesses will be engaged in friendly matches when they resume play in the autumn.
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