Lionesses beat world champions Spain at Wembley to stay top of World Cup qualifying group

Lionesses beat world champions Spain at Wembley to stay top of World Cup qualifying group

England continued their perfect World Cup qualifying campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over rivals Spain at Wembley.

In front of 62,306 fans under the arch, the European champions edged past the world champions to take control of their qualification group. With only the top team earning automatic qualification to Brazil in 2027, England have now put themselves in a great position with three games left to play.

Fast start proves decisive

England made the perfect start, taking the lead in just the third minute through Lauren Hemp – the quickest goal scored by a Lioness at the new Wembley. The goal came from a superb set piece, with Alex Greenwood delivering an exceptional corner into the box.

After the initial contact, Alessia Russo, on the ground, managed to volley the ball into Hemp’s path who bundled it goalwards. It only just crossed the line as Alexia Putellas unable to clear in time, with goal-line technology confirming the ball had crossed the line.

The move was sparked by Lauren James, whose energetic run down the wing won the corner in the first place.

Encouraging signs in attack

England’s attack looked dangerous all night and arguably the Lionesses should have scored more. The 19th minute saw a slick link-up between Lucy Bronze and Hemp, where Bronze backheeled into Hemp’s path, only for her effort to strike the post.

Further chances came in the second half to Lucia Kendall, who impressed again on another start for Sarina Wiegman, and Russo, but both were unable to convert.

Set-pieces in particular looked like a real strength on the night, suggesting perhaps some specific work had been done on the training ground.

Spain lack cutting edge

In contrast, Spain were unusually blunt in attack, especially in the first half. While they showed flashes of their free-flowing play and worked the ball into dangerous areas, they were not ruthless enough and could not break England down.

Ona Batlle, Patri Guijarro and Vicky Lopez all had opportunities, but none could find the target as England’s defence held firm.

Goalkeeper Hannah Hampton pulled out a stunning save in the 90th minute to deny Edna Imade late on.

Milestones and tributes

The night also marked a special milestone for Keira Walsh, who earned her 100th England cap and captained the side.

Before kick-off, there was a tribute to Mary Earps, celebrating her international career. The goalkeeper, who earned 53 caps, played a key role in England’s Euro 2022 triumph and their run to the 2023 World Cup final. She was warmly embraced pitchside by teammates including Leah Williamson, Alessia Russo, Lucy Bronze and fellow goalkeeper Ellie Roebuck.

Group standings

After three matches, England sit top of the group with nine points, ahead of Spain, Iceland and Ukraine, maintaining their perfect record and strong momentum in the race for World Cup qualification.

Only the team to finish top will gain automatic qualification. The Lionesses face Iceland in Reykjavik on Saturday and then Spain and Ukraine in June.

The reverse fixture against Spain in Mallorca will be crucial to this group – but Spain will need to be more clinical to come out on top.