News Focus
- England lose 4-0 to Spain in World Cup qualifier – their worst defeat since 2009
- Automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup is now at risk
- Sarina Wiegman demands a strong reaction and team unity against Ukraine
- Spain top Group A3 on head-to-head record despite both teams having 12 points
- The Lionesses must better Spain’s result on Tuesday to avoid the play-offs
England manager Sarina Wiegman has called for unity after her side suffered their worst loss in 17 years. The Lionesses fell to a heavy 4-0 defeat against Spain in Mallorca on Friday night.
The result leaves England’s automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup in danger. Spain scored through Pati Guijarro, Claudia Pina and two goals from Alexia Putellas.
Both teams now sit on 12 points in Group A3. However, Spain lead the group thanks to a better head-to-head record and goal difference.
England must now defeat Ukraine on Tuesday and hope Spain drop points against Iceland. If Spain win or draw, the Lionesses will face a two-legged play-off to reach the finals in Brazil.
Wiegman admitted the scale of the defeat hurt her deeply. She told reporters that her team failed to execute their game plan and struggled to match Spain’s quality.
“We wanted to press high but they played straight through us,” she explained. “We lost momentum after their first goal and could not recover.”
The manager refused to look beyond Tuesday’s match against Ukraine. She stressed that her players must show character and stick together.
Midfielder Georgia Stanway also accepted that Spain were the better side. She said the team lacked quality and were too slow to react throughout the match.
The Lionesses now face a tense final qualifier at Wembley. Kick-off against Ukraine is at 8pm on Tuesday.