Anthony Gordon messed up Englandmistakes after suffering a 3-2 UEFA Nations League defeat a Spain but he reiterated that he does not feel that there is a gap between the two sides.
England fell behind 104 seconds into their first match since the World Cup, which Spain won as the Three Lions finished third, with Lamine Yamal punishing a Marc Guehi error to open the scoring.
But after a string of chances from Spain, Gordon leveled things up as he completed a wonderful England counter-attack, before Harry Kane’s deflected header put the hosts ahead.
However, Kane’s failure to convert from the penalty spot nine minutes into the second half was a turning point in the game.
Spain capitalized on that lapse, Alex Baena leveling matters after a mistake from left-back Nico O’Reilly, with the Atletico Madrid man after playing in substitute Mikel Oyarzabal to settle an absorbing contest in favor of the world champions.
It was a case of deja vu for England as Oyarzabal came back to haunt them after scoring the winning goal in the Euro 2024 final between the two sides.
But Gordon still expressed an optimistic view of England’s performance and their position in relation to that of Luis de la Fuente’s side.
“I think it was a bit of a missed opportunity,” Gordon told ITV.
“I thought it was a great game to watch and play in, some of the attacking play was top notch, but I think in a game like this mistakes cost you.
“You always feel like you’re giving it away instead of them winning it. But of course you can argue with both teams because they were as good as us and we were as good as them. I’m just discouraged by the mistakes.”
Asked if England would have prevailed if Kane had converted his penalty after Rodri’s foul on Jude Bellingham, Gordon said: “I think so, I think it puts us in a great position to go and get more.
“We were hungry for more. We went out for the kill, for the kill, and we did. Penalties happen. He never fails, so we’ll let him go with this one.
“Like I said a couple of days ago, I don’t think there’s a gap (in Spain). I feel like we’re right there. We can win this game so easily. If the penalty goes in, we can go on and win the game.
“In hindsight, it’s always easy to say. But I felt good in the game. I don’t think there was a gap and I think if we played them in the final I would have felt confident.”
“Having confidence doesn’t always translate into a win, but I think you saw here tonight that we’re a top team.”
