Track Tickets
England kicked off their Nations League campaign against World Cup winners Spain and the Czech Republic this week, but how did they get on? Here, we'll run you through England's key fixtures from the past few days.
England lose valiantly 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 since. 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:
England XI
James Trafford Jarell Quansah Ezri Konsa Marc Guéhi Nico O'Reilly Elliot Anderson Myles Lewis-Skelly Bukayo Saka Jude Bellingham Anthony Gordon Harry Kane
Spain XI
Unai Simón Marc Pubill Pau Cubarsí Aymeric Laporte Marc Cucurella Rodri Fabián Ruiz Lamine Yamal Dani Olmo Nico Williams Ferran Torres
England 2-3 Spain
Spain got off to the best possible start, taking the lead inside two minutes when Lamine Yamal dispossessed Marc Guéhi high up the pitch and slotted the ball past James Trafford. Spain continued to pile on the pressure after that, creating several clear-cut chances that could have put the game out of sight. However, England gradually found their footing, gaining more of the ball and moving it well. Then, in the 36th minute, England won possession back from a promising Spain attack and moved it forward quickly. Jude 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. At this point, England were firmly in the ascendancy, and just four minutes after Gordon's equaliser, Harry Kane put the Three Lions ahead with a classic poacher's finish. As a result, Thomas Tuchel's team headed into the half-time break the happier of the two sides.
Coming out after the break, England continued to turn the screw, and after Jude Bellingham was tripped in the box 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. 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.
A disappointing loss for Thomas Tuchel's side, but a performance they can be proud of against the best team in the world.
England ease past ten-man Czech Republic
After a disappointing loss to Spain on Saturday, England would have been keen to get their Nations League campaign back on track with a victory over the Czech Republic. To do so, Thomas Tuchel once again fielded a strong starting XI, with a few changes made to manage fitness levels ahead of the Three Lions' final two fixtures of the international break. See the starting XIs for both sides below:
England XI
James Trafford Trent Alexander-Arnold Trevoh Chalobah Marc Guehi Lewis Hall Elliot Anderson Myles Lewis-Skelly Bukayo Saka Morgan Rogers Anthony Gordon Harry Kane
Czech Republic XI
Matěj Kovář Jan Sláma Ladislav Krejčí Robin Hranáč Štěpán Chaloupek Michal Sadílek Pavel Šulc Lukáš Červ Adam Karabec Adam Hložek Martin Radosta
Czech Republic 0-2 England
Despite having the better of the possession in the opening stages, it was actually the Czech Republic who looked the more likely to score, with Pavel Šulc, in particular, looking dangerous. That was until the 25th minute, when the Czech Republic's star player flew in recklessly on Manchester City midfielder Elliot Anderson. Šulc was initially shown a yellow card for the incident, but it was upgraded to a straight red following a VAR review. Following the red card, Thomas Tuchel's side continued to move the ball well, but ultimately struggled to test Czech goalkeeper Matěj Kovář, and the sides went into the half-time break level at 0-0.
After an underwhelming first-half performance, England began the second half with renewed vigour, and it didn't take them long to break the deadlock. After winning back possession deep in the Czech half, Trent Alexander-Arnold picked up the ball on the right flank and swept in an inviting cross for Anthony Gordon to nod home in the 47th minute. The goal marked the Barcelona star's third goal in as many games for England, as the winger continues his fine form since swapping Newcastle for Barcelona.
Despite continuing to dominate the ball, a second goal proved elusive for England until the 69th minute, when Three Lions captain Harry Kane found half a yard in the box and rifled a low, driven finish past Matěj Kovář to score his 87th England goal.
Thomas Tuchel will be pleased to be back to winning ways having defeated the Czech Republic, however with two more Nations League fixtures against Croatia and the Czech Republic still to come, the German coach will be keen to keep the momentum going to chase down group leaders Spain.
