Spain came from behind to beat England 3-2 at Wembley on Saturday, extending the world champions’ unbeaten run to 39 matches, a record for a European team, reports said.
The match was an entertaining Nations League encounter in which England led 2-0 at half time through Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane, before Spain fought back in the second half with goals from substitutes Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal.
Both Channels Television and Vanguard reported the scoreline and the unbeaten-run milestone, citing the match report.
How the game unfolded
England looked nervy early after a defensive error by Marc Guehi allowed Spain teenager Lamine Yamal to steal the ball and curl a left-footed shot off the inside of the post. Spain created further chances but could not convert before the break.
England seized the initiative in the second half of the first period. Barcelona winger Anthony Gordon finished a team move in the 36th minute, and four minutes later captain Harry Kane rose to head in Nico O’Reilly’s cross, the ball deflecting off Marc Cucurella en route to the net.
Ten minutes into the second half Kane missed a spot-kick, striking the bar from the penalty spot following a VAR-checked foul on Jude Bellingham. Spain capitalised as Alex Baena reduced the deficit on the hour mark and then set up Mikel Oyarzabal, who dinked the ball over goalkeeper James Trafford to complete the turnaround.
Managers and reactions
England manager Thomas Tuchel had said before the match that it did not signal a new start for his team, a point reported by both outlets.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente was quoted by Channels Television as saying he felt his side had been largely in control against what he called a “superpower” and that he believed they could have come back even from 3-1 down. He added: “These are sensational moments…. Numbers are one thing, objective indicators are what we see. But what is important is that we still want to grow, we still want to improve.”
Channels Television also quoted Kane, who told ITV that England had not been able to sustain their best level for the whole game: “I spoke before that we reached good levels at the World Cup but didn’t quite put a full 90 minutes together. Probably similar again today.”
What next
Channels Television reported that Spain will host Croatia in their next Nations League Group A3 match on Tuesday, while England travel to the Czech Republic.
Both Channels Television and Vanguard carried the match report.
Featured image: Bryan Berlin via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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