10-man England stun Spain 3-2 in Madrid to end 43-game unbeaten run

England ended Spain’s 43-game unbeaten run with a 3-2 victory in Madrid, holding on with 10 men for the final 30 minutes after Elliot Anderson was sent off for denying Lamine Yamal a goalscoring opportunity. Spain converted the resulting penalty to set up a nervy finish, clawing back from 3-0 down before England ultimately held firm.

Thomas Tuchel drew a direct parallel to England’s famous win at Mexico’s Azteca Stadium — another occasion when they were reduced to 10 men and survived — describing the result as “Azteca reloaded”. The England manager was effusive in his praise for his squad but made clear he had reservations about the dismissal.

“We showed that without the red card, we had a clear win,” Tuchel said. “Brilliant performance overall. We were the better team. We put out a fantastic performance from start to finish. The red card and the penalty is always a big decision — and I need to understand why it’s a double punishment. Then it was a long, long 30 minutes.”

Tuchel was otherwise unstinting in his admiration for the collective effort. “Cannot praise the team high enough,” he added. “We were brave on the ball, we were patient off the ball, hungry in the opponent’s half. In terms of football quality, it was at the highest level.”

England midfielder Declan Rice echoed his manager’s view that the red card fundamentally altered the shape of the contest. “The red card changes the course of the game — it could have been a couple more [goals] if I’m being honest,” Rice said. “If we don’t go down to 10, we get more of the ball, we start to see them jump more, more space. To win it 3-2 against that team, unbeaten in 43, is a massive thing.”

The result sends England to the top of their Nations League group and marks a significant statement win for Tuchel’s side on the road against the reigning world champions.