England 2–3 Spain: A Wembley Thriller That England Let Slip
Football can be terribly cruel.
One minute you’re leading the world champions at Wembley.
The next you’ve got a penalty to make it 3–1.
And then, somehow, you’re standing there at full-time wondering how on earth you’ve lost 3–2.
Welcome back, international football.
England 2. Spain 3.
Five goals.
A missed penalty.
A comeback.
Lamine Yamal doing Lamine Yamal things.
And enough defensive mistakes to keep Thomas Tuchel awake for a few nights.
If this is how the Nations League intends to begin, I’m listening.
Because this one was entertaining.
Frustrating if you’re English.
Delicious if you’re Spanish.
And for the neutral?
Simply Sublime.
Lamine Yamal Didn’t Take Long
Two minutes.
That’s all Spain needed.
England barely had time to settle into the evening before Lamine Yamal punished a mistake at the back and put Spain ahead.
Of course it was Yamal.
Because apparently being one of the most exciting footballers on the planet isn’t enough.
He also needs to ruin your evening before you’ve properly sat down.
England gave possession away.
Spain pounced.
Yamal finished.
0–1.
Against Spain, mistakes are expensive.
Against this Spain?
They are practically luxury goods.
You cannot hand this team opportunities and expect them to politely return the ball.
England’s Response Was Excellent
And this is where England deserve credit.
They didn’t collapse.
They didn’t retreat into themselves.
They responded.
Anthony Gordon made it 1–1 after 36 minutes, finishing off a lovely England counterattack.
Four minutes later?
Harry Kane.
2–1 England.
Suddenly Wembley was bouncing.
Suddenly Spain looked uncomfortable.
And suddenly England looked like the team we keep being told they can become.
Fast.
Direct.
Aggressive.
Brave.
This was the England supporters want to see.
Not endless safe possession that goes sideways, backwards, sideways again and eventually arrives with the goalkeeper.
Attack.
Take risks.
Make world-class opponents uncomfortable.
For a spell, England did exactly that.
And Spain didn’t like it.
Then Came THE Moment
England began the second half strongly.
They had momentum.
They were leading 2–1.
Then Jude Bellingham was brought down.
Penalty.
Harry Kane.
This is normally the part where everybody begins walking back towards the halfway line because we know what’s coming.
Kane steps up.
Kane scores.
Thank you very much.
Except…
Not this time.
He slipped.
The ball crashed against the crossbar.
And Wembley collectively made that horrible football noise.
You know the one.
That enormous:
OOOOOOHHHHHHH.
It should have been 3–1.
It wasn’t.
And against Spain, you just knew there might be a price to pay.
There was.
A very expensive one.
Spain Smelled Blood
Seven minutes later, England made another mistake.
Spain didn’t ask twice.
Álex Baena, introduced from the bench, made it 2–2 on the hour.
And this is what elite teams do.
You give them life.
They take it.
You make an error.
They punish it.
You fail to finish them when you have the opportunity.
They come back and make you regret it.
Spain weren’t necessarily blowing England away.
They didn’t need to.
England kept opening the door.
Spain kept walking through it.
Oyarzabal. Again.
Then came the winner.
Minute 74.
Mikel Oyarzabal.
England 2–3 Spain.
Game turned completely around.
Spain’s substitutes had changed the match.
Baena equalised.
Oyarzabal scored the winner.
That’s not a bad afternoon from the bench.
And Oyarzabal seems to have developed a rather inconvenient habit of appearing in extremely important moments for Spain.
Composed finish.
World champions ahead.
Wembley suddenly considerably quieter.
Funny how quickly football changes.
At 2–1 England, with a penalty coming, this match looked like it could become a statement victory.
Twenty-one minutes after Kane hit the bar?
England were losing 3–2.
Football.
Absolutely ridiculous game.
The Frustrating Thing? England Were Good
This wasn’t a 3–2 defeat where you throw everything away and start again.
There were periods when England looked genuinely excellent.
That matters.
They went toe-to-toe with the reigning world champions.
They created chances.
They scored twice.
They had the opportunity to score a third.
Anthony Gordon caused problems.
Jude Bellingham was involved.
Harry Kane scored.
There were moments when England moved the ball quickly and attacked Spain with real purpose.
Thomas Tuchel has something to work with.
The problem?
You cannot play Spain for 60 good minutes.
You need 90.
England’s Mistakes Were Brutal
This is where the match was lost for me.
Not because Spain produced 90 minutes of untouchable football.
Because England gave them opportunities.
The opening goal came after England were caught in possession.
Spain’s equaliser followed another giveaway.
Against an ordinary side, perhaps you survive those moments.
Against Spain?
Good luck.
This is a team full of players who see mistakes before you’ve even realised you’ve made them.
The lesson is simple.
If England want to beat the very best teams consistently, concentration cannot be optional.
Not for five minutes.
Not for one pass.
Not against Spain.
Anthony Gordon Was a Big Positive
I enjoyed Gordon’s performance.
Energy.
Directness.
Running at defenders.
And importantly…
A goal.
There is something refreshing about a winger whose first instinct is:
Let’s go at them.
International football can sometimes become too cautious.
Too tactical.
Too afraid of making the mistake.
Gordon brings chaos.
Good chaos.
The kind defenders don’t enjoy.
His equaliser was part of England’s best spell of the match and exactly the type of football Tuchel should want more of.
Simply Sublime for: attacking without asking permission.
Harry Kane – Hero and Heartbreak
Football summed up in one evening.
Scores England’s second.
Has the chance to make it 3–1.
Hits the bar.
England eventually lose 3–2.
Strikers live in these moments.
Had that penalty gone in, we’d probably be talking about a famous England victory over the world champions.
Instead, it’s the moment everyone will remember.
That’s football.
I wouldn’t suddenly worry about Harry Kane taking penalties.
I’d still back him.
But this one hurt.
A lot.
And Then There’s Lamine Yamal
What more is there to say?
He’s still ridiculously young.
And yet watching him against England, there is already an expectation that something will happen whenever he gets the ball.
That’s rare.
Very rare.
Defenders know what he wants to do.
The crowd knows.
The opposition manager knows.
We know.
And somehow he still does something dangerous.
His early goal immediately changed the mood of the match.
Spain have a special footballer here.
Actually…
Special feels like an understatement.
Spain’s Bench Won Them the Match
This deserves attention.
Luis de la Fuente introduced Baena and Oyarzabal in the second half.
Both scored.
That’s a manager’s dream.
Imagine making substitutions and both players actually do exactly what you hoped they would.
Football Manager stuff.
Spain’s depth is frightening.
Pedri can come from the bench.
Oyarzabal can come from the bench.
Baena can come from the bench.
There are quality players everywhere.
And that is why beating Spain requires almost everything to go right.
England came close.
But close doesn’t appear in the table.
What Does This Say About England Under Tuchel?
There were positives.
Definitely.
There was also a warning.
England can compete with the very best.
We saw that.
But competing with them and beating them are different things.
The attacking football was encouraging.
The response to going behind was excellent.
The period either side of half-time showed exactly what this England team can be.
But the mistakes?
They have to go.
You cannot build an elite international side while gifting elite opponents goals.
Thomas Tuchel will know that better than anybody.
The ingredients are there.
Now he needs the consistency.
Spain Are Still Spain
Perhaps the biggest compliment I can give Spain is that they didn’t panic.
They went ahead.
Then fell behind.
England had the momentum.
Wembley was alive.
Kane had a penalty.
And still Spain found a way.
That is what champions do.
They don’t always dominate.
They don’t always play their prettiest football.
Sometimes they simply survive your best period and wait.
Then…
Bang.
Opportunity.
Goal.
Another opportunity.
Another goal.
Three points.
Thank you very much.
Very efficient.
Very Spanish.
Very annoying if you’re England.
My Simply Sublime Man of the Match
There were several candidates.
Anthony Gordon was excellent in spells.
Lamine Yamal gave Spain the perfect start.
But I’m going with:
Mikel Oyarzabal.
Came on.
Scored the winner at Wembley.
Job done.
There is something beautifully uncomplicated about that.
Simply Sublime for: arriving from the bench and deciding the football match.
My Verdict
England 2–3 Spain.
England will be frustrated.
And they should be.
Because this wasn’t a match where Spain were simply too good.
England had them.
They fought back from 1–0 down.
They led 2–1.
They had a penalty to make it 3–1.
That was the moment.
Miss it against Spain and you give one of the best teams in international football oxygen.
Spain took a very deep breath.
Then punished them.
For Thomas Tuchel, there are encouraging signs.
England can hurt elite opposition.
Anthony Gordon showed it.
Harry Kane showed it.
The football during England’s best periods showed it.
But if England want to move from nearly beating teams like Spain to actually beating them, the mistakes have to disappear.
Spain?
They march on.
Three goals.
Three points.
Another reminder that world champions don’t need an invitation twice.
And for us watching?
Five goals at Wembley.
A missed penalty.
A comeback.
Two substitute goals.
One very entertaining evening.
Painful for England.
Perfect for Spain.
And as a football match?
Simply Sublime.
Author: swoosh0018
"Im Swoosh. Seeking the extraordinary in every corner & Exploring South Africa in Style" Football,Sports,Lifestyle,Food & Travel
