CORNERFLICK
The opening matchday of the 2026-27 UEFA Nations League concluded on Saturday, September 26, with 10 fixtures across Europe, headlined by Spain’s dramatic 3-2 victory over England at Wembley. Croatia also began their campaign with an away win over the Czech Republic, while Finland produced the biggest victory of the night with a seven-goal rout.
In the standout League A encounter, Spain came from behind to beat England 3-2 at Wembley. Lamine Yamal gave Spain a dream start by opening the scoring after just two minutes, but England responded through Anthony Gordon before an own goal from Marc Cucurella turned the game around, sending the hosts into half-time with a 2-1 lead.
Harry Kane then had the opportunity to extend England’s advantage from the penalty spot, but failed to convert — a moment that proved to be a major turning point in the contest.
Spain increased the pressure after the break. Substitute Álex Baena restored parity before playing a key role in the move that produced the decisive third goal. Mikel Oyarzabal struck in the 74th minute to seal victory for Spain, once again making the difference against England after scoring the winning goal in the Euro 2024 final.
For the reigning world champions, the result represented an important opening victory in Group A3.
Croatia also made a winning start in the other match in the group, beating the Czech Republic 2-1 away from home. Luka Modrić put Croatia ahead early in the second half before Adam Karabec equalised for the hosts. Marco Pašalić eventually restored Croatia’s lead from an Ivan Perišić delivery to secure all three points.
In League B, Switzerland produced an impressive display to defeat North Macedonia 3-0, while Slovenia and Scotland played out a goalless draw. Switzerland, competing in League B for the first time, could hardly have asked for a more convincing start to their campaign.
The biggest scoreline of the night, however, came in League C, where Finland demolished San Marino 7-0. Joel Pohjanpalo was the standout performer, scoring a hat-trick — the first of the new Nations League campaign.
Elsewhere, Albania secured a 2-0 victory over Belarus, while Slovakia recorded the same scoreline against Moldova. The Faroe Islands and Kazakhstan drew 1-1, Luxembourg edged Bulgaria 2-1, and Iceland’s meeting with Estonia also ended 1-1.
Overall, 25 goals were scored across Saturday’s 10 Nations League matches, with Spain and Croatia making winning starts in the top tier. But it was England’s home defeat to Spain at Wembley that provided the headline result from an eventful night of international football.