England captain Harry Kane said his side produced some of their best football in a long time despite losing 3-2 to world champions Spain in the Nations League on Friday. The match at Wembley saw England roar back from a disastrous start to lead before half-time, thanks to a brilliant counter-attack finished off by Anthony Gordon and Kane's header. However, Spain extended their unbeaten run to 39 games through Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal.
The game got off to a bad start for England when Marc Guehi gifted Lamine Yamal the opening goal. Thomas Tuchel's men struggled to contain Spain's attacks, but England's counter-attack proved effective, catching Spain off guard. Kane then hit the bar with a second-half penalty that would have made it 3-1, a missed opportunity that could have changed the course of the game.
Kane praised his side's performance, saying they reached good levels in the World Cup but didn't quite put a full 90 minutes together. He noted that the period either side of half-time was as good as England has played in a long time, and that's the standard they know they can reach. Kane also acknowledged that they were playing against the reigning world champions and European champions.
Tuchel was left to bemoan the two defensive errors that cost his side victory. Nico O'Riley followed Manchester City team-mate Guehi into gifting possession away deep inside England's half in the build-up to Baena's equaliser. Tuchel said that on their level, the details matter, and it matters that they take their chances and reduce decisive mistakes.
The defeat was a familiar tale of what could have been for England, who have reached the semi-finals in four of their last five major tournaments without ending their wait since 1966 to win one. Kane acknowledged that they had a lot of good moments, but it wasn't enough to secure a win. England's performance, however, showed promise and improvement.
Tuchel's side had dominated possession but were unable to capitalize on their chances. The coach said the effort was there, the quality was there, and spells of the game were very good, but the result wasn't perfect. He emphasized that reducing decisive mistakes and taking chances are crucial at their level.
The Nations League match was part of a busy night of UEFA Nations League drama, with other matches seeing Germany held in Amsterdam and Portugal secure victory over Wales in Lisbon. England's performance against Spain showed that they can compete with top teams, but they need to work on reducing mistakes and capitalizing on their chances.
Key points
- England produced some of their best football in a long time despite losing 3-2 to Spain.
- Defensive errors cost England the game, with Marc Guehi and Nico O'Riley gifting possession away.
- England have reached the semi-finals in four of their last five major tournaments without winning one since 1966.
