Almost at dawn on Friday to Saturday, Sonia Bermúdez appeared in the press room of the Son Moix stadium. Her expression was that of a tired person, but above all happy and calm, satisfied by the excellence of the performance that Spain had just given against England. “It was the perfect scenario. We are very happy. It’s a day to be, but we still need three points to qualify for the World Cup. They are still three points, but the game, the atmosphere, the goals… everything was spectacular. It was a team game, very complete,” the coach assessed. The extraordinary and surprising 4-0 thrashing in Palma of the lionesses —none of the seven previous encounters had been decided by more than one goal difference— was a statement from La Roja. The Spanish team, by drawing level with 12 points and winning the head-to-head goal difference against the English after having lost 1-0 at Wembley in April, placed itself first in Group A3 —the only position that grants a direct ticket to next year’s World Cup— and left its great rival of recent years stunned, the same one it beat in the 2023 World Cup final and against whom it conceded the Euro 2025 title in a penalty shootout.
The Dutch Sarina Wiegman had never suffered in that way against any opponent since she took the reins of the England bench in 2021. “This hurts, I expected a different game, very difficult and competitive, but it was different today [Friday] and it’s normal that this hurts. It’s not a good score, it’s disappointing. We have to watch the game again and stick together for Tuesday [for the home match against Ukraine],” she noted. After the thrashing, the lionesses no longer depend on themselves to finish first in the group and avoid the play-offs. If on that same day La Roja wins in Reykjavik against Iceland, an affordable opponent they already beat 3-0 at home in March despite injuries, England will be second and will have to play a double playoff to qualify for Brazil 2027.
The victory of the world champions against the European champions was so brilliant that Son Moix had already started doing the wave in the first half. The performance was collective, effective, and exquisite, also driven by the adjustments Bermúdez has implemented in possession and positional play since her arrival in August 2025. “They played very well and we didn’t, we weren’t compact against their pressure and their connection was brilliant,” Sarina Wiegman acknowledged. Spain finished the match with 21 shots —nine on target—, compared to just three for England —zero against Cata’s goal—, and with 62% possession. In total, La Roja made 624 passes with 90% accuracy —191 of them in the final third—, compared to 377 for the lionesses, who managed 70 passes in advanced areas with 80% accuracy, according to data from the sports statistics company Opta.
The Vallecana coach has strengthened with her management a group that last July missed out on a historic triple crown against England in the Eurocup after having lifted the 2023 World Cup and the 2024 Nations League. Her first major decision with impact on the field was to bring Mapi León back to the squad, the last of the 15 players who had refused to wear the La Roja jersey in September 2022 in protest of the unprofessional conditions they endured in the Federation. Since her return, the center-back has been an undisputed starter because Bermúdez highly values her speed to correct opponents’ counter-attacks and, above all, her formidable left foot for threading passes and changing direction as if she were another midfielder, in addition to her fantastic set-pieces.
The coach was very clever on Friday when, 10 minutes into the match, she modified the profiles of Salma and Vicky on the wings. Both had started on their natural flanks, but the swap, allowing them to play inverted in the inner squares and leaving the touchlines to Ona and Lucía Corrales, gave Spain a lot of depth. “In our heads, you have a plan. When England covered us on the outside, we tried through the inside. These are pieces you have to change,” Bermúdez explained. “As the spaces on the outside closed, we switched flanks with Vicky to exploit the inner space. I think she played a good game and is in great form,” she added.
Read more The CNTE teachers are preparing to hit the accelerator in the crucial week of the World Cup
⚽️ The third goal for the @SEFutbolFem!! @alexiaputellas again!
🔝 The smartest in the class!
🔎 Spain – England (3-0)
🎙️ @AliciaArevalo29 and @Corredera7
📺 Follow this World Cup ’27 qualifying match LIVE on @La1_tve and @rtveplayhttps://t.co/Qtmu4GKieR
— Teledeporte (@teledeporte) June 5, 2026
The Vallecana coach gives a lot of leeway to the young Madrid native, only 19 years old, and also backs Salma (22) since the Aragonese player regained her best form at the end of this season and left behind the knee discomfort that bothered her for almost two seasons. “She can do well in any attacking area. She is in great form,” she noted about Salma. Her starting position in the key clash against England, to the detriment of Claudia Pina, hinted at a change in hierarchies in the offensive trident. It wasn’t the only one: Edna Imade, the forward who arrived in Spain by dinghy when she was only three months old, won the spot over Esther González. Lucía Corrales also occupied the left-back position instead of Olga Carmona. “I’ve known her since the youth categories. She is a rough diamond. She can give everything she wants, she has an incredible future ahead of her,” she said about the London City Lionesses defender.
With the work against Sarina’s team perfectly executed, La Roja only needs to deliver on Tuesday against Iceland to defend its crown in Brazil 2027 without going to the play-offs. Barring a surprise, the lionesses will likely go through the play-offs, having received a clear warning this Friday about the level of Sonia Bermúdez’s Spain, who called for caution: “Maximum respect to England. When everything flows, it makes for a great victory. Such a large result is not normal, but if we meet again, it will surely be a different scenario.”
