Spain beat England 3-2 at Wembley and made it 39 unbeaten — best national team ever?
Just watched Spain come back from 2-1 down to win 3-2 at Wembley. England had it: Gordon and Kane put them ahead, Kane missed a penalty, then Baena and Oyarzabal finished it off for Spain. Yamal opened it with that curler. Now Spain has gone 39 official matches unbeaten, which is the all-time record. So is there even a debate left? Is this Spain side the undisputed best national team on the planet right now, or does anyone still have a real argument?
2 answers
- Spain's bench, not the penalty
The turning point is not the missed penalty, it is Spain's bench. England's starting eleven matched Spain for 55 minutes. Then de la Fuente sent on Baena and Oyarzabal in the 55th minute, and those two exact players scored twice within 15 minutes. A bench that produces two goals in 15 minutes against England at Wembley is the checkable reason Spain is a level above: their second unit would start for almost any other nation.
- The 39-game record flatters Spain
Spain won, but England led twice and had them on the ropes for an hour — Gordon and Kane put them ahead, and Spain needed a second-half comeback at Wembley to extend the streak. A truly dominant team does not trail twice in one game. The 39 unbeaten is impressive on paper, but if you watched the actual match, this looked like two very good teams and some finishing luck, not a coronation.