Spain crush England at home to dent World Cup hopes as Lionesses star Keira Walsh concedes: 'We weren't good enough tonight'

The hosts dominated from the outset, ultimately firing off 21 shots to England's three, as Patri Guijarro rifled past Hannah Hampton to put Spain ahead midway through the first half.

England did come close to going level as Lauren James got to the byline and managed to dink a cross over goalkeeper Cata Coll but there was nobody in the box to tap into an empty net.

And England were made to rue their failure to draw level as Alexia Putellas made amends for her earlier miss to score her first and Spain's second shortly before the break.

Sarina Wiegman's side came close to halving the deficit minutes after the break following some good work by Alessia Russo to tee up Georgia Stanway, though she was unable to direct her effort goal-bound.

Again, England paid the price as Putellas struck for the second time. Lucy Bronze initially cleared her effort off the line but, as Hampton and Alex Greenwood remained motionless watching and waiting to see if the ball went out, the midfielder capitalised on their indecisiveness to add Spain's third.

There was still time for Claudia Pina to get on the scoresheet to compound a miserable evening for England.

And speaking with ITV after the game, Keira Walsh gave a blunt assessment of the evening's display.

"A lot of areas where we weren't good enough tonight and Spain were really good at home. They made it very difficult for us, but when we look back, there are a lot of things we could've done better," Walsh said.

"I think there's a lot of factors involved. I don't think we were good enough and they were very sharp. Those two combined made it a very difficult game for us. 

"They've got bodies everywhere. It was difficult for us to get out of our own box. I don't have solutions right now. The emotions are very high. It's a disappointing game. 

"We've still got a small chance to qualify. It's out of our hands. All we can try and do is win the next game and hope that Iceland can do us a favour. All we can do is control the next game."

Wiegman, meanwhile, stated: "A very difficult night. The difference between the two teams was big. Although we started well, when they got into a rhythm and got their first goal, I think we just didn't play to our strengths, and they played really well. It's very disappointing.

"It has to do with a very good Spain tonight. It's never an excuse when you lose 4-0. We played to their strengths a little bit and harmed ourselves.

"We should've skipped players to get into the pockets. We didn't get there and when we did we found it really hard to keep the ball. It has to do with us and the strength of Spain."

On whether the Spanish league finishing later than the Women's Super League played a part, the England boss added: "I don't want to use that as an excuse. The facts are that Spain was a lot better."

The result means Spain leapfrog England into top spot in World Cup qualifying group A3.

Both teams sit on 12 points after five games, but Spain's superior head-to-head record and goal difference means Sonia Bermudez's side go into the final round of games in first.

It means that England now need to better Spain's result on Tuesday, June 9 when they take on Ukraine and Iceland, respectively, if they are to qualify for the 2027 World Cup automatically.

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