England secured a crucial win in their quest for automatic Women's World Cup qualification, defeating Spain 1-0 at Wembley. This match marked the first meeting between the two teams since England's victorious Euro 2025 final in July, where they defended their title by winning on penalties.
Lauren Hemp scored the opening goal within three minutes, confirmed by goal-line technology to have crossed the line by just one inch. England dominated the first half, with Keira Walsh and Alessia Russo coming close to scoring. Spain's attack, however, looked uncharacteristically blunt, managing only one shot on target. The second half saw an end-to-end battle, with both teams wasting significant opportunities.
Olga Carmona and Vicky Lopez hit the woodwork for Spain, while Lucia Kendall, Lauren James, and Russo fired agonizingly wide for England. Hannah Hampton made a crucial late save to deny Edna Imade, securing the win for England.
This result puts England three points clear at the top of Group A3, ahead of Spain, with only the top team qualifying automatically for the World Cup in Brazil. England manager Sarina Wiegman expressed happiness with the result, acknowledging the need to defend against Spain's possession-based game. Wiegman also praised Keira Walsh on her 100th cap, highlighting her development and importance to the team. Walsh herself noted the plan to sit in a low block and counter-attack, acknowledging Spain's possession dominance.
The win is significant, especially given the context of the rivalry between England and Spain, and sets the stage for their next qualifier against Iceland.