Spain thrashed England with their best display in years — and it could be a taster of things to come

The message had been clear in the dressing room after Spain’s 1-0 loss against England at Wembley in April: “We must win at Son Moix.”

On Friday night in Majorca, a little over seven weeks on from that World Cup qualifier defeat in London, the holders made amends.

Spain’s 4-0 victory over England has put their automatic qualification back in their hands. They had to win by a two-goal margin to take a superior head-to-head record over England before the final round of qualifiers next week, and they went out at Estadi Mallorca Son Moix with one clear objective: to score as many as possible.

Achieving it so convincingly will have added to the satisfaction, especially against opponents who have been a thorn in their side over the past year.

Key to the victory was Spain’s ability to stay calm during the opening exchanges when England were at their most threatening, before demonstrating real ruthlessness in attack. The visitors had most of the play through the opening quarter of an hour, but were prevented from scoring the goal that would have made life awkward. Having resisted, Spain pounced.

The superb run and deflected strike from Patricia Guijarro to open the scoring was the hosts’ first real chance. Mariona Caldentey won the ball, Guijarro collected it, nutmegged Georgia Stanway, advanced to just outside the box and let fly. Her attempt beat Hannah Hampton via a deflection and instantly, the whole tone of the contest changed.

In the 37th minute, Alexia Putellas doubled the lead, giving Spain that key two-goal margin. The momentum was firmly with Sonia Bermudez’s side and everything about their display clicked from there. They were aggressive in the press, regaining possession quickly whenever it was lost, and refused to allow England to build up their play with any comfort. Spain were well positioned to collect second balls and suffocated England’s attempts to play out from the back. It was a masterclass.

The threat posed by Lauren James, Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo was utterly neutralised, and England hardly touched the ball in the Spanish penalty area all night.

The World Cup holders moved the ball themselves with speed and precision, outplaying Sarina Wiegman’s side all over the pitch.

They could lean on standout performances from individual players, too, particularly in midfield. There have been recent calls for Putellas to make more of an impact in the biggest games, and she did just that in a dominant display. The slickness with which Spain circulated the ball allowed them to hold sway in every phase of the game.

Crucial decisions from Bermudez shaped the game, too.

Spain’s head coach left Olga Garcia, Claudia Pina and Esther Gonzalez on the bench — a decision that felt surprising given their experience and influence. Yet starting Edna Imade up front, combined with some shrewd tactical tweaks made once the match was underway, ensured the Spanish ran riot.

Bermudez saw that Vicky Lopez was being marked tightly on the right and asked her to swap with Salma Paralluelo. That put Alex Greenwood on the back foot and forced James — who is not particularly strong defensively — to drop back. Paralluelo made inroads and Lopez shone with the extra freedom on the opposite flank.

The substitutions were also decisive. Pina, who scored the fourth goal, Gonzalez, Olga Carmona and Clara Serrajordi all came on. So, too, did Aitana Bonmati, restored after recovering from a broken leg in December. It was a reminder of the strength in depth at Bermudez’s disposal.

Spain had a personal vendetta in Mallorca and produced their most complete performance in years. Can they repeat it at the World Cup? The tournament in Brazil is still a year away, but young players such as Lopez, 19, and Serrajordi, 18, will travel to World Cup 2027 with another 12 months’ experience under their belts. Three-time Ballon d’Or winner Bonmati will be fully recovered from her injury, too, and that will also help raise the standard even further.

They needed this performance more than England after that defeat at Wembley, and it showed. Wiegman and her side will take note of what went badly wrong at Son Moix and will be better prepared to counter it next time, particularly if the nations meet in Brazil, but it was hard not to think that a psychological blow had been delivered.

Bermudez, for her part, was playing that down. “We weren’t that bad at Wembley before, nor are we that good today,” she told reporters after the match.

Regardless, a standard has been set.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Spain, Women’s Soccer, FIFA Women’s World Cup

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