England 2-3 Spain: Anthony Gordon and Roy Keane disagree over gap between Three Lions and world champions | Football News
Roy Keane disagreed with Anthony Gordon’s assessment that England are at the same level as Spain after the World Cup winners came from behind to beat Thomas Tuchel’s side 3-2 in their Nations League opener.
Spain extend their unbeaten run to 39 games with the win at Wembley, but the game could have had a very different outcome had Harry Kane not missed a second-half penalty after he headed England 2-1 in front before the break.
The momentum shifted in Spain’s favour after Kane’s slip, with Alex Baena equalising off the bench before setting up the winner, scored by fellow substitute Mikel Oyarzabal, who broke England hearts in the Euro 2024 final.
England’s Harry Kane slips and fires his penalty against the bar in the match with Spain
Gordon, who scored England’s equaliser from a terrific counter-attacking move, felt the performance was enough to win them the game and showed that they are a top team.
“I don’t think there is a gap [to Spain] I feel like we’re right there,” Gordon told ITV Sport. “We can win that game so easily. If the penalty goes in, we can go on and win the game. In hindsight it’s always easy to say that. But I felt good in the game.
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Rob Dorsett gives his verdict on England’s 3-2 defeat to world champions Spain at Wembley in the Nations League
“I don’t think there is a gap and I think if we played them in the final I would’ve felt confident. Being confident doesn’t always translate into a win, but I think you’ve seen here tonight that we’re a top team.”
Responding to the England forward, Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane said on ITV Sport: “I disagree with Gordon, I think there is a gap. I think there is, obviously [Spain are] world champions, European champions.”
In the build-up to the game, Gordon backed Tuchel’s view that England’s players have an inbuilt inability to control matches with possession – and the defeat highlighted this again for the Barcelona forward.
Speaking in the mixed zone, he told Sky Sports News: “What I said in the midweek was mainly about them, how they control, and they’re incredible at it; they’re the best. It doesn’t mean we’re not good at it; we are good. We’re just not as good as them, in my opinion.
“But we’re better at other things. I think my goal summed that up. How direct we were, how fast we went from one goal to the other. That’s what I was talking about, that direct style of play. Which is also neat and tidy, just in our own English way.”
Tuchel: We thought we had Spain at half-time
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Thomas Tuchel reflects on England’s loss against Spain
England scored two goals in the space of four first-half minutes just before half-time – more goals than Spain conceded in the entire World Cup – but failed to capitalise on their dominance after the restart with Kane’s spurned penalty proving to be the turning point.
Spain, meanwhile, were ruthless with Lamine Yamal pouncing on Marc Guehi’s error to open the scoring after two minutes and Baena’s second-half equaliser coming directly after a misplaced pass from Nico O’Reilly.
“We did everything today to beat Spain,” Tuchel said after the game. “Details matter on this level. Clear-cut mistakes were too high on our side unfortunately. In the last 20 metres they were more clinical and composed to convert our ball losses into clear-cut chances.
“Still we had them and we had our chance to beat them.”
He added: “We wanted desperately to be the team to beat them. We thought we had them at half-time. That was the way the team showed up after half-time.
“It happens too often today and we get punished on the highest level. The execution and composure in the final 20 metres was on the highest level from our opponents.”
Kane not ‘downbeat’ on Spain defeat
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Harry Kane reacts to England’s loss against Spain and his penalty kick miss
Kane says England cannot be “downbeat” and must take “a lot of positives” from the loss at Wembley.
He told Sky Sports News in the mixed zone afterwards: “A lot of positives from 15 minutes into the game until 60 minutes – it was as good as we’ve played for a long, long time.
“The intensity, with and without the ball, the chances we created, the goals we scored – but in a game like this, when you’re playing a team that’s been unbeaten for that long, you’re going to need less mistakes, both in giving goals away and also with the penalty as well. These are three big moments in the game, and in the end it cost us.
“Not a game to get too downbeat about. A lot of positives to take from it, a lot of good performances.
“A tough one to take because on another night it could’ve been a different result.”
He added: “The period from 20 minutes to 60 minutes is what we need to take from it. At the World Cup, we didn’t quite put a 90 minutes together – we still haven’t quite put a 90 minutes together, albeit against a very good side tonight.
“But when we’re in that moment, it’s about being able to take the bigger moments, and that’s probably the difference right now.”
Spain boss: We had the game under control
Lamine Yamal celebrates scoring against England
Spain boss Luis de la Fuente felt his side were in charge of the game save for the final stages of the first half when England came from behind to lead at the break.
“The game was under control most of the time, except for six to seven minutes, when England dominated us,” he said.
“We got disconnected. Against a rival like England, a superpower, this can happen. I think we had the game under control.”
Analysis: ‘Missed penalty and a missed opportunity for England’
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Anthony Gordon reflects on a tough match against Spain in the Nations League
Sky Sports News senior correspondent Rob Dorsett at Wembley Stadium:
“One captain’s slip, one memorable scalp that slipped away.
“A missed penalty and a missed opportunity for England – though it’s hard to argue that Spain weren’t the far superior side over 90 minutes.
“The world champions could have been out of sight within 30 minutes, after a dominant display of their prowess. And a couple of self-destructive England passes.
“The fact that Spain were only a goal ahead, gave England hope, and it was a stunning 10-minute spell that saw England grab the lead.
“Firstly, a brilliant goal from their best player on the night, Anthony Gordon, and then from captain Kane with a header.
“But the home side started the second half really well, and when Kane missed from the spot to give England a two-goal lead, Spain sensed blood. Their response with strikes from Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal was decisive and deserved.
“A defeat with some merit then, for Tuchel’s England. But there still seems to be a gulf in class.”
England’s upcoming Nations League Group A3 fixtures
Tuesday September 29: Czech Republic (A), kick-off 7.45pm
Saturday October 3: Croatia (A), kick-off 5pm
Tuesday October 6: Czech Republic (H), kick-off 7.45pm
