Pickford's England Stun Spain In Seville

Jordan Pickford played a part in two goals as ruthless England struck three times before the break to earn a vital 3-2 UEFA Nations League victory and inflict Spain’s first competitive home defeat in 15 years.

The hosts had gone 38 matches without being beaten on Spanish soil but saw that run halted in Seville despite a spirited second-half fight back.

It was also England’s first win in Spain since 1987.

The Three Lions got up and running when goalkeeper Pickford’s drilled ball upfield ignited a move that ended with Raheem Sterling thrashing home his first international goal for three years on 16 minutes.

Pickford’s quick-thinking and pinpoint long pass then allowed skipper Harry Kane to lay on England’s second for Marcus Rashford 13 minutes later, before Sterling met Kane’s cut back to steer in again seven minutes before the break.

Substitute Paco Alcacer headed one back for Luis Enrique’s side with 58 minutes on the clock and that was how it stayed until Sergio Ramos netted with the final kick of the game.

The result leaves England second in UEFA Nations League group A4, two points behind Spain with three matches played.

Their final group outing is against Croatia, who sit three points behind Gareth Southgate’s men having played a game less.

Elsewhere, there was disappointment for Gylfi Sigurdsson and Iceland as a 2-1 home defeat to Switzerland saw them relegated from the top tier of the Nations League.

Second-half strikes from Haris Seferovic and Michael Lang put the Swiss in command and, despite pulling a goal back through Alfred Finnbogason’s stunning long-range effort, the hosts couldn’t find the equaliser to keep their Group A2 survival hopes alive.

Sigurdsson, named captain in Reykjavik, played the full 90 minutes.

Finally, Muhamed Besic, currently on loan at Middlesbrough, helped Bosnia record a 2-0 victory over Northern Ireland in Group B3, while Nikola Vlasic, on a season-long stay with CSKA Moscow, was on target in Croatia’s 4-0 European Under-21 Championship qualifying win over San Marino.