England hold off Spain rally to end WC winner's 43-game unbeaten run

• ESPN News Services

Nov 15, 2026, 04:47 PM ET

England held off a fierce comeback in Madrid on Sunday to end Spain's 43-game unbeaten streak and secure top spot in Nations League Group C with a 3-2 win.

Harry Kane scored a first-half penalty and Ezri Konsa headed home early on in the second half to double England's lead before Ben White added the Three Lions' third inside of 60 minutes. The visitors looked to be cruising to a remarkable win against the defending World Cup champions.

Shortly after taking the 3-0 lead, Elliot Anderson was sent off for a foul on Lamine Yamal in the penalty area that led to Spain's first goal and substitute Nico Williams cut the deficit to one on a counter-attack shortly after to leave 10-man England with 15 minutes to kill off.

James Trafford, who got the start ahead of Jordan Pickford in goal, stopped Spain twice on the doorstep as the hosts poured forward looking for an equalizer with the Santiago Bernabeu crowd in full voice behind them, but England hung on for a massive win.

The hard-fought win for Thomas Tuchel's side was a measure of revenge against the team that eliminated England from Euro 2024 and had recently beaten them 3-2 at Wembley in the Nations League.

For Spain, it brought to a close a record run of 43 games without a loss -- a run which included a European Championship, Nations League and a World Cup title.

Despite the loss, Spain, who had not lost a game on home soil in over four years, still advances to the Nations League quarterfinals in 2027 along with England as one of the two top teams in the group.

The win brought an end to a stellar 2026 for England that saw Kane win the Ballon d'Or and Tuchel guide them all the way to a heartbreaking World Cup semifinal loss to Argentina and a bronze medal finish after beating France in the third-place game.

Information from PA and ESPN Global Research was used in this report.