Bellingham laughs off on-pitch row with Real Madrid teammate Cucurella after Spain's 3-2 win over England

Jude Bellingham shrugged off a heated on-field exchange with Real Madrid teammate Marc Cucurella after Spain beat England 3-2 in a Nations League thriller at Wembley on Saturday. The England midfielder was visibly unhappy with a challenge from Cucurella late in the first half, confronting his club colleague with some pointed words before the pair continued to argue as play moved to the other side of the pitch.

When Bellingham was asked about the incident as he left the stadium, he broke into a broad grin and laughed — a reaction that suggested the spat had been left on the field.

The two players carry some prior baggage into their new club partnership. At the end of a 2023 Champions League match between Bellingham’s then-club Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea, the Englishman shoved Cucurella and the pair had to be separated. Cucurella only joined Real Madrid this summer from Chelsea, having been a key figure in Spain’s World Cup triumph in North America.

The wider context of the evening was a damaging defeat for England, who gifted Spain their first two goals through individual errors. Lamine Yamal opened the scoring in the second minute after Marc Guehi was caught in possession deep inside his own half, and Alex Baena doubled the lead on the hour following Nico O’Reilly’s misplaced pass. Mikel Oyarzabal, who also scored the winner against England in the Euro 2024 final, settled the contest in the 74th minute with a deft dink over goalkeeper James Trafford.

The result extended Spain’s unbeaten run to 39 games and underlined their status as the dominant force in international football heading into the next cycle of major tournaments.