Spain, Clàudia Pina fire Euros warning in comeback vs. England

BARCELONA, Spain -- Clàudia Pina laid down a marker for herself and for Spain up of July's European Championship arsenic she came disconnected the seat to instrumentality down England with a quick-fire double, sealing a 2-1 victory and booking La Roja's spot successful the last 4 of the UEFA Women's Nations League aboriginal this year.

England led astatine the interruption done Alessia Russo, but they couldn't header with Spain arsenic Montse Tomé's broadside clicked done the gears successful the 2nd half.

It was the 58th-minute instauration of Pina that yet swung the crippled astatine the RCDE Stadium. The 23-year-old equalized wrong 2 minutes of coming on, past scored a superb second, firing past the helpless Hannah Hampton from 20 yards.

"In the 2nd half, they started truly quick," England manager Sarina Wiegman said. "They did thing antithetic successful pressing a spot higher, and we struggled a spot to get retired of the property and support the ball. Of people past they brought Pina successful and she was precise unafraid with her shots."

The triumph sealed Spain's spot astatine the apical of League A Group 3 with 15 points, 5 much than second-placed England, and means they volition person the accidental to support the trophy successful October erstwhile the last 4 takes place. Germany, France and Sweden volition implicit the semifinal lineup.

The Nations League astir felt similar an afterthought here, though. This was a gathering betwixt the existent satellite champions successful Spain and the European champions successful England. It was besides a accidental to flex muscles up of the Euros successful Switzerland, wherever some teams volition fertile among the favorites.

For ample parts of the archetypal half, it looked similar Spain would erstwhile again disappoint against top-level opposition. They fell abbreviated astatine the Paris Olympics past twelvemonth and failed to people erstwhile losing 1-0 to England successful the reverse fixture successful February. Teams exploited abstraction down Spain's backline successful those games, portion La Roja struggled to make bully chances -- and erstwhile they did, they lacked a objective edge.

That is not thing Pina tin ever beryllium accused of. The Barcelona guardant is among the champion finishers successful the game, and she showed that erstwhile again against England. Her interaction was instant, a tidy left-footed decorativeness uncovering the bottommost country earlier a thumping effort dipped and swerved past Hampton and wrong the station 10 minutes later. She should person had an assist, too, aft taking down a raking Irene Paredes walk brilliantly and mounting up Aitana Bonmatí, who could lone sprout over.

Pina has represented thing of a conundrum for nine and country. The apical scorer successful the Champions League this play with 10 goals successful 9 outings is not assured of a spot successful the starting XI for either. Barça manager Pere Romeu did manus her a commencement successful the caller Champions League last decision to Arsenal, but helium had taken her disconnected by the clip the Gunners took a astonishment lead. What helium would person fixed to person a finisher similar her connected the transportation arsenic the crippled drifted distant from the Blaugrana successful Lisbon. Tomé took the other attack against England, utilizing Pina erstwhile she was successful hopeless request of a goal, and reaped the results.

What volition Pina bash astatine the Euros? She is everything Spain person been missing erstwhile they person mislaid implicit the past year: objective if you springiness her fractional a chance. She is successful overmuch amended nick than the misfiring Salma Paralluelo and Esther González, who is yet to wholly recreate her Gotham FC signifier for Spain, and has present laid down a steadfast marker for a starting berth astatine the Euros. Her goals, conscionable successful lawsuit determination was immoderate doubt, besides reasserted Spain's lawsuit to beryllium considered the squad to bushed erstwhile the tourney kicks off.

"I'll bash immoderate is needed from me," Pina told reporters. "For my nine I ever effort to springiness my champion nevertheless agelong I play. I americium ever acceptable and capable to help.

"I can't adjacent retrieve the archetypal goal. I received the shot [for the second] and I didn't adjacent deliberation astir it. I deed it with my soul."

England, meanwhile, person enactment to bash if they are to clasp the trophy they won astatine Wembley 3 years ago. Wiegman's broadside did OK successful the archetypal half, though they rode their luck astatine times. Hampton's stunning prevention connected González wrong 3 minutes backed up Wiegman's determination to spell with the Chelsea goalkeeper arsenic her No.1 implicit Mary Earps, which yet led to the latter's unexpected retirement from planetary shot past week. Other than that, Spain were mostly restricted to long-range efforts, and erstwhile Russo was released by Keira Walsh successful the 22nd minute, determination was ne'er immoderate uncertainty the Arsenal striker would bushed Cata Coll.

That volition beryllium the vexation for the Lionesses. There was abstraction down Barça's backline, and astatine times, it looked similar Russo and Lauren Hemp particularly could person immoderate joy. That ne'er materialized, though. England survived until halftime, with the referee turning down a punishment outcry erstwhile the shot deed Niamh Charles successful the hand, but they could not get done the adjacent 45 minutes unscathed.

"I would not accidental [I am] concerned," Wiegman added. "This is simply a learning moment. They did thing antithetic truthful you privation to exploit the abstraction that they permission successful behind, but archetypal you person to support the ball. That is not easy. It is thing to instrumentality with america moving forward."