Four goals in the last 90 seconds turned a resilient England performance into a disappointing result as 7-time European Champions Spain ran out 7-0 winners in Toledo on Friday evening.
With 10 minutes to go, England were only two down and could easily have scored a couple of goals of their own after a much improved performance both in and out of possession against the European futsal giants.
“It was a phenomenal first 30 minutes and hopefully that’s the future for this English team”, said Head Coach, John Tapia-Owens.
“To come to Spain and have a bit more of the ball than we did last time is really exciting and there’s a lot we can take going forward not just into the end of this cycle but the next one too”.
In contrast to the home fixture at Loughborough in February, England pressed high from the outset and forced a number of turnovers in the first half with Jake Barnes and Jack Walsh both seeing efforts saved from the right flank as the visitors rotated with regularity to keep legs fresh.
But Spain’s opener came in the 10th minute through Dani Lopez and doubled their lead 6 minutes later as Valdepeñas’ Pol Pacheco, the standout player on the night, cut in from the right and rifled a left-footed effort into the bottom corner.
England stood strong and sustained their intensity against the relentless Spain machine, shutting down wide spaces and limiting the quality of chances.
Both goalkeepers, Jonny Sim and Jack Walsh, made countless saves to keep their side within reach during an industrious first half that demonstrated this new-look England’s improvement with each passing game. 2-0 at the interval and plenty to be encouraged by.
England’s boldness continued into the second period as Sam McGrath did superbly to win possession back with Spain committed high. He drove into space and played the ball towards Harry Tozer at the back post who was inches away from halving the deficit and giving the travelling England fans a moment to remember.
One particular move after 28 minutes which saw Stuart Cook, Jordan Edge and Russell Goldstein combine neatly under intense Spain pressure to release 19 year-old Jamie Brooker, demonstrated a side growing in belief at this level.
But ultimately, as in February’s 6-0 defeat, legs began to tire and Spain made them pay with clinically executed set-pieces.
Lopez would end the game with four whilst captain and 4x UEFA Futsal Champions League winner, Mario Rivillos, chipped in as Spain ran riot in the last quarter.
“It turns an OK result into a really disappointing one”, said Tapia-Owens.
“But to see players like Brooker competing against the best players in the world is really exciting. We played with courage and bravery, everything we want an England team to be.”
There was also a senior international debut for 20-year old Tom Uniatowicz, who missed the first three games of the group stage through injury.
It was a sour end to a promising performance, but plenty to take into Tuesday’s clash with Bosnia back at Loughborough University’s Sir David Wallace Sports Hall, in what is England’s final home game of this UEFA Futsal Euro 2026 qualification stage.
The Lions will look to improve on December’s 5-1 defeat in Zenica after three more games together and a far stronger sense of identity.
After two home sell-outs against Switzerland and Spain, we have a limited number of tickets available for England vs Bosnia on Tuesday 11th March via the link below.
https://englandfutsal.com/event/mens-seniors-uefa-futsal-euro-2026-main-round-home-fixtures/
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