Thierry Henry warned against playing without the ball; Spain confirmed it at Wembley
Sports journalist Thierry Henry had warned, days before the match at Wembley, that playing without possessing the ball against Spain would be extremely difficult; the warning was confirmed on September 26 when Spain beat England 3‑2, coming back after two tactical changes introduced in the 58th minute.
A week before the duel, Henry gave his assessment in a published interview, stating: “There were a lot of things in the tournament, but Spain dominated with and without the ball.” He added: “When you don’t have the ball, you have to play football without it. So, how do you do that against a team like that?” The match was the opening fixture of Group A3 of the Nations League.
Henry's warning and its context
Henry recalled that the French national team had lost to Spain in every major encounter: the Euro 2024 semifinal (2‑1), the Nations League 2024‑25 semifinal (5‑4) and the World Cup semifinal (2‑0). “The star is the team,” he summed up, before highlighting Spain’s defensive solidity, which conceded only one goal in eight World Cup matches and, according to him, faced just ten shots on target throughout the tournament.
Two minutes in, a mistake by Marc Guéhi on the ball outflow left Lamine Yamal one‑on‑one with James Trafford; the Barcelona winger scored with the help of the post. Around 5,000 Spanish fans celebrated the goal in a packed Wembley, while the score remained 1‑0.
Lamine Yamal opens, Anthony Gordon equalises in the Nations League
England's goals and the Spanish response
In the 36th minute, Anthony Gordon equalised after a Spanish turnover, assisted by Jude Bellingham, who was already leading the English attacks. Four minutes later, a Harry Kane header deflected off Marc Cucurella’s thigh and went in, giving Spain two goals in four minutes. In the second half, England sought the third and Rodri took a penalty against Bellingham; Kane smashed it against the crossbar.
Luis de la Fuente’s response came in the 58th minute with the introduction of Álex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal, replacing Lamine Yamal. Baena, newly on the pitch, won the ball from Nico O’Reilly, struck the post against Trafford and levelled 2‑2. Six minutes later, he received Baena’s pass and, turning between the lines, beat the English goalkeeper to score the winning goal, delivering an assist and a goal in his first fifteen minutes.
Henry's conclusions and Tuchel's view
Henry’s analysis proved spot‑on: England showed greater effectiveness while running and punishing turnovers, but faded when defending 2‑1 without the ball. The Spanish victory showed that the world champion does not need to dominate the full ninety minutes; it is enough to stick to its model and apply the two rotations that re‑activated the circulation.
Álex Baena pushes Spain to stay alive in the Nations League
Read through Henry’s statement, the match leaves a clear conclusion for Thomas Tuchel: the home side lost control for twenty minutes, conceded two goals, but won without resorting to long balls or a system change, relying on pressure and the rotations that deepened its idea.