Cucurella goes down at Wembley as England exploits his mistake

At Wembley Stadium, under the floodlights, the left back of Real Madrid, Marc Cucurella, saw the header of Harry Kane strike his thigh and end in an own goal at the 40th minute, leaving Spain with zero shots on target and no key passes.

Spain beat England 2‑3 in the first matchday of Group 3 of League A of the Nations League, its debut as world champion, although the victory did not erase what happened on the left flank. The team of Luis de la Fuente generated chances from the first minutes, with Lamine Yamal scoring early in the second minute. After the own goal, England took the initiative and managed to equalise before halftime.

Numbers that condemn the left back

Marc Cucurella recorded Zero shots on target, Zero key passes and no accurate crossing, while losing eight balls during the match. He did not deliver a single good cross and did not find his teammates in the shooting zone, leaving the left back of Real Madrid without arguments. The eight ball losses were the highest figure among the team's defenders.

Anthony Gordon equalised for England in the 36th minute, and four minutes later the header of Harry Kane struck Cucurella's thigh and ended inside his own net, putting Spain 2‑1 down at halftime. The own goal turned the defender into an involuntary protagonist of the English comeback. The halftime score reflected the vulnerability of the Spanish left back.

Lamine Yamal opens, Anthony Gordon equalises in the Nations League

In the second half, Álex Baena came on in the 60th minute, levelled the score to 2‑2 and, minutes later, assisted Mikel Oyarzabal for the winning goal in the 74th minute. Cucurella, who had arrived at Las Rozas before the match, did not take part in any of the three goals of Spain.

The left flank ceased to be an attacking avenue and turned into a point of loss, as it did not provide continuity nor crossing options. The lack of effective forays into the opponent's area prevented the team from using its wing as an offensive weapon.

Espart, the La Masia alternative

The editorial states that Xavi Espart will take the left back position soon. The academy player of FC Barcelona, born in 2007 and trained at La Masia since 2015, has been converted by Hansi Flick into a left back in the 2026‑2027 season and has already completed all minutes of the opening rounds of LaLiga.

Álex Baena pushes Spain to stay alive in the Nations League

At 19 years old, Espart has played for the under‑17 and under‑19 national teams, and his case for the senior squad grows while the current starter accumulates nights like the one in London. The victory over England, however, makes clear the need to strengthen the left flank of Spain.