England’s Nations League opener at Wembley ended in a 3-2 defeat to Spain, and the game turned on the same minute that their World Cup semi-final did. In Atlanta in July, Anthony Gordon put England 1-0 up against Argentina on 55 minutes. Here they were 2-1 up, having come from a goal down, when Harry Kane stepped up to take a penalty. On both occasions the final 35 minutes were lost 2-0.
The similarities stop at the timing. At Wembley there was no back five, no long-ball panic, no sudden collapse into a team that could not keep the ball. Spain did score almost immediately, a horrible moment for Marc Guéhi followed by a smart finish from Lamine Yamal, and for a while it looked like the sum of all fears, with Ferran Torres wasting outrageously inviting chances and Rodri shuttling about. But England did not let them settle into that crawling rhythm. There were periods of hard high pressing, and Elliot Anderson was aggressive in midfield.
On 36 minutes England scored a brilliant goal of the kind Spain will hate, caught on the counterattack by a wonderful three-man surge from box to box — made by Anderson’s tackle, carried by Jude Bellingham’s surge and pass, and finished beautifully by Gordon into the corner. The running continued into the second half, England playing in surges, winning physical duels and making Spain into a team that had to run. Jarell Quansah smashed a shot into Marc Cucurella’s face to huge cheers, and the crowd began to sing the Tuchel song.
Then came the moment. On 54 minutes a lengthy VAR check ended with a penalty awarded for a trip on Bellingham, combined also with a dive. Kane, who had already scored England’s second goal, waited a little longer than usual, slipped on his standing leg as he planted it and pumped the kick on to the bar. The 54th minute ticked over into the 55th, and Unai Simón celebrated.
Spain seemed to sense it. The pressure shifted, the ball began to tick about between the red shirts, and Spain regained that basking quality, easing about with their familiar sense of control, always with more angles, more space and a superior geometry. Within five minutes the game was level. Fourteen minutes later Spain were 3-2 up, a lead they would hold on to. Both of Spain’s decisive goals were either made or scored by Luis de la Fuente’s two attacking substitutes.
The key moment in that closing stretch came on 70 minutes, when both teams brought on a midfielder: Pedri for Spain, James Garner for England. Pedri immediately began to do his thing, and at that point Spain had Pedri, Rodri and Dani Olmo on the pitch, the entire Barcelona midfield. For all England’s efforts, the late surge and the front-foot style, it always felt as though they were being held at bay in those final moments.
But it was not quite a repeat of Atlanta. For a start, England were much better here than they were in July, and against a better team. Thomas Tuchel was up on his touchline with his arms wheeling, and afterwards there was cause for optimism rather than talk of cowardice: no sitting deep, no panic, some decent late chances. Spain remain the ultimate system team, an expression of a deep, functioning coaching culture, and the nation that tortures England the most. Losing again, but losing better, was at least some kind of progress.