England were defeated 3-2 by world champions Spain in a highly competitive Nations League encounter, marking the Three Lions’ first outing following this summer’s World Cup. Lamine Yamal opened the scoring for Spain, though England responded with goals from Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane to briefly lead. Ultimately, a penalty miss by Kane proved costly as Alex Baena equalized and Mikel Oyarzabal secured the win for the visitors. Here’s how we rated England’s players – and you can have your say in the comments at the bottom. An important save stopped Torres making it 2-0 in the first half. A physically dominant performance and had a chance to score but headed over. Given the tough task of trying to shut off the supply to Spain’s conductor, Rodri. Jude Bellingham: The Real Madrid midfielder produced another dominant display and was unlucky to be on the losing side.
Starting XI Performance Ratings
- James Trafford (6): Demonstrated composure on the ball but was breached early. Made a crucial save to deny Ferran Torres a 2-0 lead.
- Jarell Quansah (6): Maintained a physical presence at right-back and nearly scored with a header.
- Ezri Konsa (6): Overcame initial defensive instability to improve as the match progressed.
- Marc Guehi (5): Struggled with an uncharacteristic error that gifted Lamine Yamal the opening goal.
- Nico O’Reilly (6): Provided the assist for Kane’s goal and worked hard defensively, despite conceding possession for Spain’s second.
- Elliot Anderson (6): Faced a difficult challenge in midfield against Spain’s technical dominance; nearly punished for a loose pass.
- Myles Lewis-Skelly (6): Anchored the midfield with a solid effort, tasked specifically with neutralizing Rodri before being substituted.
- Jude Bellingham (8): A standout performance featuring an assist and the play that led to England’s penalty; finished the match testing the keeper.
- Bukayo Saka (6): Managed to draw fouls in dangerous positions but remained quiet throughout the evening.
- Anthony Gordon (8): Provided a clinical finish on the counter-attack and remained a constant threat behind the Spanish defense.
- Harry Kane (7): Deep-lying involvement led to his goal, though he was hindered by a penalty miss after slipping.
Substitute Contributions
- James Garner (6): Replaced Lewis-Skelly to continue the defensive assignment on Rodri.
- Morgan Rogers (6): Saw limited action during his twenty-minute appearance.
- Morgan Gibbs-White (6): Deployed on the left wing in the final minutes.
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin (6): Offered minimal impact in his brief late appearance.
- Jarrad Branthwaite (6): Entered in the final moments for defensive cover.
The unused substitutes included Pickford, Steele, Alexander-Arnold, Scott, Chalobah, Hall, and Eze.
Important Details
- Ezri Konsa: Some shaky moments for Konsa and England’s back four but the centre-back regrouped and got better as the game went on. 6.
- James Garner (on 70, Lewis-Skelly): Took on Lewis-Skelly’s role of trying to keep Rodri quiet. 6.
- Morgan Rogers (on 70, Gordon): Did not get much of the ball in his 20 minutes on the pitch. 6.
- Morgan Gibbs-White (on 83, Saka): Came on and played on the left wing. 6.
- Jarrad Branthwaite, (on 89, Guehi): A late change for Guehi in the England backline. No time to make an impression. 6.
