Spain’s latest comeback turned on a pair of changes rather than a change of plan. With La Roja trailing 2-1, Luis de la Fuente acted in the 55th minute, sending on Álex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal for Nico Williams and Ferran Torres.
The intervention reshaped the match quickly. Spain were level five minutes after the double substitution, and 20 minutes after the changes they had moved ahead, going on to secure victory.
Quick facts
- Spain were 2-1 behind when De la Fuente made changes in the 55th minute.
- Baena replaced Nico Williams, while Oyarzabal came on for Ferran Torres.
- The two substitutes scored the goals that completed Spain’s turnaround.
- De la Fuente’s contract has recently been extended through 2032.
- Spain have lost only once in his 50 matches as national-team coach.
Nico had not found his usual spark, while Ferran had been wasteful, and De la Fuente did not wait until the hour mark to alter his forward line. Baena and Oyarzabal supplied the decisive response, underlining the coach’s readiness to adjust personnel when a game requires it.
The result adds further weight to a Spain tenure that has already delivered the Nations League. De la Fuente is now targeting a second title in that competition, having assembled a record that places him alongside—and in one respect beyond—the country’s earlier major-tournament winners.
Vicente del Bosque won both the World Cup and the European Championship with Spain, but had no Nations League available during his spell in charge. De la Fuente has already lifted that newer trophy, and his run of 49 wins or draws from 50 games has made his case increasingly difficult to overlook.
