England had Spain rattled. For a spell either side of half time at Wembley, Thomas Tuchel’s side looked capable of doing something nobody else has managed in well over two years: beating the world champions. Instead, a missed penalty from Harry Kane turned the contest on its head, and Spain scored twice in the final half hour to leave with a 3-2 win that flattered England’s second half performance rather less than the closeness of the scoreline suggests.
It was Spain who struck first, and it took them all of two minutes. Marc Guehi lost possession under pressure inside his own half, and Lamine Yamal punished the mistake with the kind of clinical finish that has become his trademark since bursting onto the international scene as a teenager. Wembley barely had time to settle before England were behind, and for a period after that Spain looked every bit the side that beat Argentina in the World Cup final in the summer.
England’s response, though, was excellent. Anthony Gordon levelled with a driven finish from a swift counter attack in the 36th minute, and four minutes later Kane headed home Nico O’Reilly’s cross to put England 2-1 up going into the break. It was, by Tuchel’s own admission afterwards, as good a spell as his side have produced since he took charge, and it briefly looked like the platform for a genuinely significant result against a team unbeaten in international football since losing to Colombia back in March 2024.
The Moment That Changed Everything
Nine minutes into the second half, England had the chance to make the game safe. Rodri was penalised for bringing down Jude Bellingham inside the area, and after a VAR review confirmed the decision, Kane stepped up with the chance to put England two goals clear against the team that had eliminated his country from the World Cup on penalties themselves not so long ago. Instead, Kane’s feet went from under him as he struck the ball, and his effort cannoned back off the crossbar.
It proved to be the pivotal moment of the match. Tuchel described it afterwards as possibly the decisive moment, reasoning that a third England goal at that stage would have been the first time in years that Spain’s players had genuine cause to doubt themselves. Instead, the momentum swung sharply back the other way. Within six minutes, substitute Alex Baena had equalised after a mistake from O’Reilly, and Spain’s belief visibly grew from there. Mikel Oyarzabal completed the turnaround in the 74th minute with a composed finish, and although England pushed for a leveller in the closing stages, Spain held on comfortably enough in the end.
Gordon was honest about where the game had been lost when he spoke afterwards. He pointed out that all three Spanish goals had originated from England’s own mistakes rather than moments of brilliance from their opponents, adding that the penalty represented the biggest moment of the lot. “If that goes in we are in a much better position,” he said, before making clear there was nothing anyone could do once Kane’s standing foot had slipped. Kane himself sounded more frustrated by the missed opportunity than the result itself, insisting that the period either side of half time was as good as England have played in a long time and the standard his side know they are capable of reaching.
A Result That Still Leaves Room For Encouragement
There will be plenty of English frustration this morning, not least because a win would have represented a first competitive victory over a major nation of Spain’s current standing since their emergence as the dominant side in world football. Spain arrived at Wembley as reigning European and world champions, extending their remarkable unbeaten run to 39 matches in the process, and few teams have troubled them in the way England did for large parts of Saturday evening.
Tuchel’s assessment afterwards focused less on the concession of three goals than on the individual errors that led to each of them. He was blunt about the manner of Yamal’s opener, and made clear that fine margins separate results at this level. “It matters that you take your chances, it matters that you reduce the decisive mistakes,” he said, a verdict that will resonate given how competitive the contest was in between England’s defensive lapses.
The bigger picture is that this is the opening match of a demanding block of Nations League fixtures rather than a stand alone occasion. England travel to face Czechia in Prague in midweek, before a trip to Croatia in Rijeka early next month completes a run of four matches inside a fortnight. Spain, by contrast, sit top of Group A3 and go again against Croatia in Seville, with home advantage and momentum both firmly in their favour. For England, the challenge now is turning Saturday’s promising spells into results, starting in Prague, rather than dwelling too long on the manner in which a strong position at Wembley slipped away.
There was enough in this performance, particularly in that first half spell, to suggest Tuchel’s side are not far away from being competitive with the very best international teams in the world. Whether that translates into points before this Nations League group is finished will define how this campaign is remembered.
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