The 19:00 kick-off time on a Tuesday put off many fans from coming to Espanyol's RCDE Stadium for the match against England's Lionesses, so it was in front of a half-capacity crowd that the reigning world champions met the reigning European champions, a month before the Euros in Switzerland.
In the first half, La Roja made inroads into their opponents' half but lacked the precision to threaten Hannah Hampton, so much so that by half-time, despite 54 per cent possession and 10 attempts, they boasted a total of just 0.61 xG and, more importantly, 0.19 xGOT.
The match took a turn in favour of the Lionesses when the referee, after a long deliberation, decided not to whistle for contact on Salma Paralluelo on the Spanish right.
While her teammates stopped playing, left-back Niamh Charles found Alessia Russo in the box. Quicker than Spain captain Irene Paredes, the Arsenal striker got in front of Cata Coll and placed a perfect right-footed shot to open the scoring.
The crowd's outcry was immediate, and the referee's popularity plummeted even further after two handballs in the penalty area were ignored.
At half-time, England were top of Group C, which meant qualification for the Nations League final four.
Pina turns it around
The second half followed a similar pattern with Mariona Caldentey, a recent European champion with Arsenal, firing wide.
The ever-popular Claudia Pina then entered the game and from her first ball, curled a left-footed shot into Hampton's net.
Pina then doubled her tally 10 minutes later after finding herself on the edge of the area unchallenged, curling a right-footed shot that ricocheted off the left post and into the net with 20 minutes left on the clock.
Aitana Bonmatí had the chance to make it 3-1 in stoppage time, but Hampton made a fine stop at the death to keep the score at 2-1.
The result means Spain have confirmed their place in the semi-finals of the competition, to be played in October, and strengthened their status as Euro favourites.
Meanwhile, the defeat means another setback for the Lionesses as they look to defend their European crown next month.