Spain beat USWNT 2-0 in Washington as early goals decide heavyweight friendly
Spain defeated the United States 2-0 in Washington DC on Saturday in the first of two scheduled friendlies between the sides, with goals by Patri Guijarro and Eva Navarro inside the opening 14 minutes.
The match came with broader stakes: Spain remain the top-ranked side in Fifa’s rankings and are the defending World Cup champions, while the United States are the second-ranked team and won Olympic gold at Paris 2024, and both nations face next year’s World Cup in Brazil in less than a year. Spain have already qualified for that tournament, the opening match of which is 258 days away, whereas the United States must still secure qualification via a regional tournament that begins next month. Both squads were missing several key players through injury for this friendly, which was the first time the US had hosted the world No 1 on home soil.
Spain struck early when Patri Guijarro opened the scoring in the third minute with a 20-yard strike after a turnover left the Barcelona midfielder with space. The visitors doubled their lead in the 14th minute when Salma Paralluelo isolated Tierna Davidson down the left and crossed to Eva Navarro, who finished with a one-touch run. Those two quick goals came as a result of defensive lapses by the hosts.
The United States regrouped briefly after conceding; all 11 US players huddled above the box for several minutes following the second goal. The first half was marked by misplaced passes and overhit clearances, including a failed layoff from Rose Lavelle intended for Sophia Wilson and Alyssa Thompson that rolled out of play to audible frustration from the Audi Field crowd. Wilson’s best first-half attempts struck the post and went wide.
Emma Hayes reflected on the early deficit, saying: "You can’t afford to go 2-0 down against the best team in the world, especially the way we conceded those goals," and added: "That’s the learning." The match was the fifth meeting between the two sides and their first since 11 October 2022; after falling two goals behind for the first time under Hayes, the Americans produced a stronger second-half showing but were unable to score.
The US adjusted their high press after halftime and outshot Spain 13-6 on the day, while Spain produced no shots on target in the second half. Sophia Wilson thought she had pulled one back in the 53rd minute, but the effort was ruled offside following video review. The hosts won a penalty in the 67th minute when Wilson was fouled by Natalia Ramos, and Lily Yohannes—who the report notes has never attempted a penalty in four seasons at Ajax and OL Lyonnes—was the taker; Yohannes told reporters after the game she was second on the US’s list of takers, behind Heaps.
Adriana Nanclares saved Yohannes’s stutter-step spot-kick, preserving Spain’s clean sheet. Second-half substitutions included Mallory Swanson, who made her first game appearance in 710 days after being out for all of 2025 on maternity leave, and Ashley Sanchez, recalled amid a strong NWSL season with the North Carolina Courage and earning her first US minutes since October 2023; Sanchez nearly scored from a late cross in the 88th minute but slipped as her foot connected with the ball.
Spain increased the match’s physicality in the final quarter-hour, committing 12 fouls to the United States’ four, and were reduced to 10 players in stoppage time when Athenea del Castillo received a red card for a hair pull. The teams meet again on Tuesday in Chester, Pennsylvania, giving the United States another opportunity to address finishing issues after failing to score for consecutive matches for the first time since the 2023 World Cup.