England has taken a significant step towards automatic qualification for the Women's World Cup with a narrow 1-0 victory over Spain at Wembley Stadium. This match marked the first encounter between the two teams since the Euro 2025 final in July, where England emerged victorious in a penalty shootout. England made a strong start, with Lauren Hemp scoring the opening goal within the first three minutes, confirmed by goal-line technology to have crossed the line by just one inch.
Despite Spain's efforts, England maintained the upper hand throughout the first half, with Keira Walsh and Alessia Russo coming close to scoring. The second half saw a more evenly matched contest, with both teams creating scoring opportunities.
Olga Carmona and Vicky Lopez hit the woodwork for Spain, while Lucia Kendall, Lauren James, and Russo narrowly missed the target for England. England's goalkeeper, Hannah Hampton, made a crucial save late in the game to deny Edna Imade.
This win puts England three points clear at the top of Group A3, ahead of Spain, with only the group winner qualifying automatically for the World Cup in Brazil. England manager Sarina Wiegman expressed her happiness with the result, noting that her team had to defend well against a skilled Spanish side. Wiegman also praised the performance of her players, particularly Keira Walsh, who earned her 100th cap. England midfielder Walsh acknowledged the difficulty of competing with Spain for possession and highlighted her team's strategy of sitting back and exploiting counter-attacking opportunities.
The victory is a significant step forward for England in their World Cup qualification campaign, and they will look to build on this momentum in their upcoming match against Iceland.