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Jude Bellingham and Anthony Gordon produced standout performances as England narrowly lost 3-2 to reigning world champions Spain. Gordon scored a fine equaliser after a brilliant through ball from Bellingham, while Harry Kane also found the net before missing a crucial penalty. Despite the defeat, several England players strengthened their claims for future selection as Thomas Tuchel begins building towards Euro 2028 on home soil.
Gordon and Bellingham impress in loss to Spain
Having ended their World Cup campaign in disappointing fashion following an underwhelming 2-1 loss to Argentina, Thomas Tuchel's England side were back in action for the first time. Keen to get back to winning ways, the Three Lions faced a tough test against reigning World and European champions, Spain. Both sides put out strong starting XIs, as you can see below, though Tuchel will have been frustrated to see Cole Palmer and Kobbie Mainoo both withdraw from the squad, with the pair no doubt disappointed having played none between them at the World Cup.
Spain started the game quickly and got off to the best possible start when Lamine Yamal put them 1-0 up in just the second minute, dispossessing Marc Guéhi high up the pitch before slotting the ball past James Trafford. Spain continued to pile on the pressure after that, creating multiple clear-cut chances that could have put them 2-0 or 3-0 up. However, England gradually found their footing in the game, gaining more possession and progressing the ball well, with Jude Bellingham once again looking every bit as excellent as he did throughout the World Cup, dictating the tempo from midfield and driving England forward. Then, in the 36th minute, England won the ball back from a promising Spain attack and moved it forward quickly. Bellingham picked the ball up in midfield and played an inch-perfect through ball to Anthony Gordon, who confidently rolled it past the onrushing Unai Simón to level the scores. Since his summer move to Barcelona, Gordon has looked like he's gone up another level in terms of quality, and his composed finish was further proof of that growth. At this point, England were very much in the ascendancy, and just four minutes after Gordon's equaliser, Harry Kane put the Three Lions ahead with a classic poacher's finish after Nico Oreilly’s pinpoint cross. As a result, Thomas Tuchel's team headed into the half-time break the happier of the two sides, with performances like these from Bellingham and Gordon only strengthening their claims to be key men when England host the Euros in 2028.
Coming out after the break, England continued to turn the screw, and after Jude Bellingham was tripped in the box clumsily by Rodri, Kane had the chance to put the Three Lions 3-1 up. However, the Bayern Munich striker spurned the opportunity to give his side breathing room, crashing his spot kick off the underside of the bar. Kane will be bitterly disappointed with the miss, which was reminiscent of his effort against France at the 2022 World Cup, and the timing could hardly be worse with the Ballon d'Or ceremony fast approaching. The miss gave the world champions the impetus they needed to get back into the game. Spain equalised in the 60th minute through Alex Baena's long-range effort, before Mikel Oyarzabal's delicate dink put Spain 3-2 up with just 16 minutes of normal time remaining.
Although England’s players will be disappointed to have lost a game to the World Champions in which they could have gone 3-1 up, plenty of the players made a good account of themselves, including Anthony Gordon and Jude Bellingham, and therefore will be confident they can continue to impress Thomas Tuchel before the home Euros in the summer of 2028.
