England were beaten 3-2 by Spain at Wembley in the Nations League, with an error-strewn performance undercutting what might have been an encouraging evening for the Three Lions. Spain's victory was built on their unyielding ability to outlast opponents, and England found themselves on the wrong end of that endurance.
For not the first time, an England defeat hinged on a missed penalty by their usually reliable captain. When Harry Kane slipped at the crucial moment, nudging the ball with his standing foot by accident, his spot-kick bounced back off the bar. A goal would have taken England to 3-1 nine minutes into the second half after Lamine Yamal's opener and subsequent goals from Anthony Gordon and Kane, via a deflection, to turn the game on its head. Instead, Spain did the same back to England, with Alex Baena and then Mikel Oyarzabal scoring with deft finishes to clinch victory.
England errors punished
Thomas Tuchel told his England team and the country earlier this week to "embrace the chaos", but that is not such a tempting proposition now that England have done just that and still lost. In an open match, England scored two well-worked goals in the space of four blistering first-half minutes but were guilty, at the other end, of poor errors. Some of them were ruthlessly punished by the best national team on the planet.
Marc Guehi was grimly unaware of the presence of Lamine Yamal when he turned on the ball after a minute and 45 seconds. In no time, Yamal had nicked it and scored via the post for the opener. Another error came when Myles Lewis-Skelly played the ball right to a Spain player and was fortunate they did not double their lead. There were shades of Enzo Fernandez's equaliser for Argentina in the World Cup semi-final about the way Alex Baena was never convincingly closed down when shaping to shoot, and then did, scoring Spain's leveller. The centre-back positioning as Mikel Oyarzabal struck the winner was suspect, too.
This was the first of four games in 11 days for England, and they will be pleased they get the chance to quickly put right the errors they made at Wembley. It may now be tempting to write off England's chances of winning their Nations League group already, with an uphill task now they have lost.
England still wrestling for blueprint in big games
The week leading up to this prestige fixture had been dominated by discussion about the style, DNA and fabric of English football. Should England try to replicate the dominance that has served Spain so well in recent years or play their own way? The irony of Yamal's early opener was that it meant England had seen 60 per cent of possession by half time. England were good enough to put the world champions under pressure and stop them doing what they do to almost every other team they face.
Jude Bellingham stormed forward to assist Gordon's goal and cleverly hooked his leg in to earn the penalty. He and Yamal were heads and shoulders above the rest all game, and yet England's threat was so diminished after Kane's 54th-minute spot kick against the bar. There were chances and half-chances to come for Tuchel's men, but inevitable, and concerning, was the way Spain so comprehensively wrestled control of the game at that point. For long periods of that final half-hour, England became passengers.
Not that there will have been many of them among the 84,000 in attendance at Wembley, but what a game this was for neutrals — a high-octane affair, end to end, no challenges ducked, a fine advert for what UEFA intended the Nations League to become.
Trafford can't make his big day count
Tuchel named a strong XI, and one name on the teamsheet stood out. It was not that of Myles Lewis-Skelly but rather the goalkeeper, with Jordan Pickford, 32, left on the bench in favour of Leeds United's James Trafford, 23. Big things are expected of Trafford, and Tuchel saw this as the perfect opportunity to hand him the chance to impress, with Dean Henderson currently sidelined with injury.
"He gets two matches, consecutive matches, because he deserves it," said Tuchel, confirming he would start in Prague against Czechia on Tuesday as well. "Then Pickford gets the same. Trafford had a good start for Leeds, different to last season, so we want to see what is behind Pickford."
There was nothing Trafford could do to keep Yamal out with the opener, but then he came rushing out decisively when Yamal played Ferran Torres in. The goalkeeper was brave, spread himself and saved. He hoped to make further eye-catching saves on his big night and yet Spain seemed to either slide the ball just wide of his goal or beat him with consummate ease. His distribution was decent but not flawless. A tough evening for Trafford was tough for England, too. The tantalising prospect of a two-goal lead was in sight, but how far they were from victory, as it turned out. Spain showed why they are top dog.
