Star Crossed Losers; Spain suffer against the roar of England’s Lionesses

La Roja shined bright in their red and yellow kits at Wembley Stadium in front of an astounding crowd of 45,000+ spectators, although couldn’t find their spark during UEFA Women’s Nations League Group A match day.

In the game of football, one goal makes a difference, whether it’s scored in the 1st minute or the 90th minute. Depending on the circumstance or level of competition, if a game ends in a tie, leaderboard points are shared at one each per team. Throughout the course of the initial group stages of the annual UEFA Women’s Nations League tournament, accumulating as many points as possible almost guarantees satisfaction into the next round. Rounds of elimination include the best performing team in each group based on points. So, in a nutshell, every result counts.

Last Wednesday, on February 26th, a host of FC Barcelona players including Ona Batlle, Irene Paredes, Aitana Bonmatí, Cata Coll, Claudia Pina, and Salma Paralluelo represented their country at the highest level in a high prestige environment, taking center stage at Wembley Stadium in London. The challenge was simple on paper, although placing it into action seemed much more difficult. The last time La Roja had confronted the Lionesses face to face was back on August 20th 2023, the date of the FIFA Women’s World Cup Final in Australia.

No love is lost between the world’s #2 (Spain) and #4 (England), both holding high rank in global women’s football and dominating the field of play no matter who the opponent may be. This kind of face off makes the wait worthwhile. When the whistle blew to start the game, it just meant more; pride, joy, country and glory.

Spain started off strongly with massive possession of the ball, although that is not to be unexpected with their specific style of play. But with such possession, scoring opportunities were in supply for La Roja. A total of 20 shots with 5 on target would not suffice, even with speedy pace and significant effort from the likes of Salma Paralluelo, Lucía García, On the other hand, England’s Jess Park, who plays domestically for Manchester City, had a rebound which she slotted in past Cata Coll in the 33rd minute. From then on, many long balls and offsides accumulated, but the scoreboard stayed the same. England walked away victorious for the first time since 2020.

As for now, international break is on pause until the beginning of April, where national teams will convene to compete in the UEFA Women’s Nations League again; All FC Barcelona players have since returned to sunny Catalunya.