Mikel Oyarzabal's impudent chip earned Spain a 3-2 Nations League win at Wembley, as England paid for Harry Kane's penalty miss. The defeat was another high-profile game where Thomas Tuchel's England let a lead slip in the second half, but unlike the last time, it was not one for recriminations.
The England support can accept losing when their team plays with cut and thrust. More to the point, they can accept losing to Spain who, at times, played football from a different stratosphere. England were game, driven by Jude Bellingham, who ran on adrenaline and played to the point of maximum expression.
England's positive surges
England had positive surges either side of the interval, especially the one towards the end of the first half when goals from Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane put them in charge, hauling them back after Lamine Yamal's second-minute goal. The biggest takeaway was Spain's slickness. There is a reason why they won the World Cup in the summer and the European Championship before that. They are the best team in the international game by a distance.
England did well to stay within a puncher's chance of a result in this Nations League opener; Bellingham was still throwing them in stoppage time. Crucially, as Tuchel and England try to look forward after the heartbreak of the World Cup semi-final defeat against Argentina, there was no negativity from the Wembley crowd. Even in the face of England's defending, which was dreadfully loose.
Kane's penalty miss
The match turned on a Kane penalty miss in the 54th minute. Had the captain scored rather than hitting the crossbar after his standing foot gave way in the turf, England would have been 3-1 up. Shortly afterwards, they were pegged back to 2-2 by the Spain substitute Álex Baena and there was a degree of inevitability about the winner from another replacement. Oyarzabal's dinked finish was impudently brilliant.
Spain had been fantastic for the opening 30 minutes and when they went again after the Kane penalty, they had too much. It was a statement of intent from them, an illustration of their remorseless desire. The goal was a personal disaster for Marc Guéhi; it was almost as if the Manchester City defender had other things on his mind. Guéhi was facing upfield as he tried to build a move from deep but his passing lanes were blocked, so he checked back and walked straight into Lamine Yamal, who robbed him and was clean through, making the finish past James Trafford look easy.
Tuchel's goalkeeper choice
Tuchel had started Trafford ahead of Jordan Pickford, a major deviation from his stated intention for continuity from the World Cup. Pickford was erratic in the summer and was punished for some of his mistakes. Trafford has been outstanding for Leeds since joining them over the summer. Tuchel's idea is to share the minutes between Trafford and Pickford during this window. Trafford helped to keep England in the game as Spain pushed to add to Lamine Yamal's goal.
Spain pushed with menace, their movements and speed plus breathtaking assurance on the ball giving them so many options in possession that it felt at times as if they had more men on the pitch. Ferran Torres had the ball in the net only to be pulled back for offside while Trafford stood up to make a big one-on-one block against the Spain striker after Lamine Yamal had played the through-ball. Torres blew another one-on-one on 28 minutes, with Trafford making himself big while Dani Olmo rifled just wide after a sumptuous Lamine Yamal flick.
England tried to throw counterpunches as they hung on, with Gordon and Bellingham to the fore, showing their personality when the chips were down. When the two combined for an equaliser that had not really been advertised, it was the prompt for a wild turnaround. England swept forward in thrilling style, Gordon flicking to Bellingham, getting it back and surging in on goal, with the low finish nerveless.
Kane's luck and Bellingham's persistence
Kane was unlucky when he banged inches wide from the edge of the area after a Bukayo Saka burst, and lucky when his header from a Nico O'Reilly cross, which Unai Simón looked to have covered, drew a panicked reaction from Marc Cucurella, whose thigh turned the ball past his goalkeeper. The fates were against Cucurella; when his mishit cross on 45 minutes sailed over Trafford, the ball came back off the far post.
Bellingham appeared particularly determined to leave his imprint. The Real Madrid midfielder was in the mood for bragging rights back in La Liga, with the power and directness of his running, the smoothness of it, the quickness of his moves. Spain could not contain him. It was his persistence after yet another surge that led to the penalty, when Gordon played the pass back inside from the left and Bellingham got there before Rodri, who invited trouble when he hung out a leg. Down went Bellingham and after a review, it was decided that the contact trumped the feeling that the England player had tried to engineer it. Kane could not convert.
Back came Spain. Lamine Yamal pushed a shot wide after a give and go with Baena, whose backheel was beautiful. Then Baena equalised after O'Reilly gave away the ball and Olmo quickly shifted it to the edge of the area, with Baena buying himself the space for the shot with an expert drop of the shoulder. Saka curled just wide at the other end after more good work by Bellingham but the tide had turned. It was Oyarzabal who made the difference from a Baena pass. England could have no complaints.
