Five of the most memorable England wins against Spain

The Football Faithful

Sat, Jul 13, 2024, 12:00 p.m.·4 min read

Five of the most memorable England wins against Spain

England are one game from European Championship success and a first major tournament in 58 years.

The Three Lions will face Spain in the final of Euro 2024 this weekend, looking to end the nation’s long period of underachievement. Though regarded as pre-tournament favourites, England will take to the pitch in Berlin as slight underdogs against a Spain team who have been the standout side of Euro 2024.

Gareth Southgate will be hoping his team can conjure up the magic of past wins against Spain and ahead of the clash we’ve looked at five of the very best.

Five of best England wins against Spain:

England 7-1 Spain – International friendly (1931)

The biggest winning margin in the history of this fixture came in 1931 as England thrashed Spain 7-1 in London.

England were rampant at Arsenal’s Highbury home with Jack Smith and Tommy Johnston on target twice for the Three Lions. The fixture also saw Everton icon Dixie Dean – who scored an English record 60 league goals in the 1927-28 season – score the final of his 18 goals in an England shirt. Dean’s remarkable return came in just 16 international games.

Spain 2-4 England – International friendly (1987)

Gary Lineker produced a centre-forward clinic as England beat Spain 4-2 in an entertaining affair at the Santiago Bernabeu. The forward had signed for Real Madrid’s arch-rivals Barcelona after winning the Golden Boot at the 1986 World Cup and underlined his reputation as one of the game’s great poachers with a four-goal display in Spain.

Lineker’s close-range header cancelled out Emilio Butragueño’s opener for the hosts before a second steered in before half-time handed England the lead. Lineker completed his hat-trick two minutes after the interval with another headed effort from inside the six-yard box and finished his display with a fourth from Peter Beardsley’s pass.

It was one of five hat-tricks Lineker scored in an England shirt, while he also recorded four goals in a friendly win against Malaysia in 1991.

Spain 0-0 England (p), – European Championship quarter-final (1996)

Stuart Pearce exorcised the ghosts of his penalty miss at Italia ’90 as England beat Spain on penalties to reach the European Championship semi-finals.

The host nation had impressed in the group stage, including a 4-1 thrashing of the Netherlands at Wembley, but were pushed all the way by Spain. Alan Shearer came closest for the Three Lions as he turned an effort over the crossbar from Paul Gascoigne’s cross, with penalties needed to decide the tie.

Shearer, David Platt, Pearce and Gascoigne all converted from the spot, with David Seaman saving from Miguel Ángel Nadal to book England a semi-final showdown with Germany. Fernando Hierro had crashed Spain’s first kick against the crossbar.

England 3-0 Spain, International friendly (2001)

Sven Goran Eriksson’s reign as England manager began in dream fashion as the Three Lions recorded a comfortable 3-0 win over Spain.

Nick Barmby bravely beat Iker Casillas to a loose ball to open the scoring for England at Villa Park before Liverpool teammate Emile Heskey – on as a half-time substitute – doubled the lead. The forward turned in from close range as Spain failed to deal with an England set-piece.

Ugo Ehiogu marked his return to Villa Park with a thumping header from Frank Lampard’s delivery, as the Middlesbrough centre-back scored his first goal in an England shirt.

Spain 2-3 England, UEFA Nations League (2019)

England produced one of the best performances of Gareth Southgate’s reign to beat Spain in the UEFA Nations League.

The Three Lions delivered a slick attacking performance to record a first win in Spain for 32 years, with Raheem Sterling on target twice for the visitors.

Sterling had gone 27 games and three years without an international goal but opened the scoring with an emphatic finish before Marcus Rashford concluded a fine England move with the second.

The pace and movement of Sterling and Rashford caused countless problems with Harry Kane dropping deep to link the play and Sterling made it three for England before half-time.