A deflected Karen Carney cross and a Steph Houghton free-kick helped England defeat Spain in their second Euro 2017 warm-up match.
Marta Torrejon inadvertently directed Carney’s 14th-minute centre beyond her own goalkeeper before Lionesses skipper Houghton doubled the lead soon after with a 20-yard free-kick.
Torrejon made amends for her own goal by converting a free-kick of her own just two minutes later, but Jorge Vilda’s side were unable to find an equaliser.
Spain 1-2 England
Women's International
Tuesday 25 October 2016
Guadalajara, Spain
There was one change from Friday’s 0-0 draw with France as Manchester City forward Nikita Parris replaced Rachel Daly up front.
Meanwhile, Birmingham goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley was named on the bench for the first time following her late call-up on Sunday.
The visitors made a bright start in Guadalajara with City duo Demi Stokes and Jill Scott registering early attempts at goal; the former forcing a save out of Spain goalkeeper Dolores Gallardo.
All of a sudden the game sprang into life as a neat interchange between Stokes and Jordan Nobbs saw Carney weave her way into the left side of the Spain box and chip a ball into the centre.
Torrejon arrived at the near post to clear the danger but only succeeded in inadvertently deflecting the ball over Gallardo and into the far corner to give the Lionesses the lead just before the quarter hour mark.
Three minutes later it was 2-0, as Andrea Pereira was penalised, and booked, for a trip on Parris 20 yards from the Spain goal.
Houghton stepped up and curled a beautiful free-kick over the wall and into the bottom left-hand corner.
Not to be outdone, though, the opposing skipper hauled her side right back into proceedings with a set piece of her own after Jade Moore was cautioned for a foul on Jennifer Hermoso. Torrejon whipped her free-kick beyond Karen Bardsley and into the top right-hand corner.
After that crazy goal spree, it was perhaps understandable that there was a lull in proceedings for the remainder of the first half, with Nobbs’s rushed volley from close range the only real opportunity of note thereafter.
Parris had a half-chance shortly after the restart when Spain failed to clear their lines but the ball came to her quickly and substitute keeper Sandra Panos saved the header.
A raft of second-half subs affected the game’s flow somewhat, though Toni Duggan, on for Parris, did test Panos immediately after coming on, and Daly, on for Gemma Davison, flashed a tempting centre across the box which was just beyond Carney’s reach.
England's line-up to face Spain in Guadalajara
Sampson’s charges largely restricted their hosts to long-range efforts and although Amanda Sampedro and Hermoso obliged, neither shot troubled Bardsley.
Nobbs tried her luck from distance, too, and her sweetly-struck 25-yarder had Panos beaten, only for the ball to smash against the angle of post and bar.
But Spain twice came close to equalising in added time, when a Vicky Losada volley was headed away bravely by Moore and then Bardsley did well to claw Mari Paz Vilas’s header away from the far corner.
England will discover their Euro 2017 group opponents at the finals draw in Rotterdam on Tuesday 8 November.
The Lionesses’ final match of 2017 is away to the Euro hosts, Netherlands, on Tuesday 29 November.
Spain: 1 Dolores Gallardo, 3 Leila Ouahabi, 4 Andrea Pereira, 6 Virginia Torrecilla, 8 Marta Torrejon (C), 10 Jennifer Hermoso, 11 Alexia Putellas, 14 Vicky Losada, 15 Silvia Meseguer, 19 Amanda Sampedro, 20 Irene Paredas.
Substitutes: 13 Sandra Panos for Gallardo 46, 18 Barbara Latorre for Torrecilla 46, 7 Mari Paz Vilas forHermoso 64, 17 Marta Corredera for Putellas 64, 16 Alexandra Lopez for Pereira 74.
Substitutes not used: 5 Ivana Andreas, 9 Veronica Boquete.
Goals: Torrejon 19
Bookings: Pereira
Head coach: Jorge Vilda
England (3-5-2): 1 Karen Bardsley (Manchester City); 2 Lucy Bronze (Manchester City), 5 Steph Houghton (capt; Manchester City), 6 Jo Potter (Notts County); 11 Gemma Davison (Chelsea), 7 Jill Scott (Manchester City), 4 Jade Moore (Notts County), 8 Jordan Nobbs (Arsenal), 3 Demi Stokes (Manchester City); 10 Karen Carney (Chelsea), 20 Nikita Parris (Manchester City).
Substitutes: 9 Rachel Daly (Houston Dash) for Davison 58, 22 Toni Duggan (Manchester City) for Parris 64, 17 Isobel Christiansen (Manchester City) for Scott 64, 18 Fara Williams (Arsenal) for Carney 74.
Substitutes not used: 12 Alex Scott (Arsenal), 13 Mary Earps (Reading), 14 Laura Bassett (Notts County), 15 Casey Stoney (Arsenal), 19 Millie Bright (Chelsea), 21 Sophie Baggaley (Birmingham City), 23 Danielle Carter (Arsenal).
Goals: Torrejon (own goal 14), Houghton 17
Bookings: Moore
Head coach: Mark Sampson
Referee: Elia Martinez
