England would have ended Spain’s formidable 39-match unbeaten run and secured victory at Wembley had Harry Kane not missed a penalty, according to manager Thomas Tuchel.
After an action-packed Nations League match he watched World champion Spain beat England 3-2Tuchel reflected on a decisive missed opportunity from 12 yards.
England suffered a nightmare start on 104 seconds when Marc Guéhi was pulled out of possession under pressure from Lamine Yamal, allowing the Barcelona teenager to rise and calmly lift the ball over James Trafford.
However, the Three Lions staged an impressive comeback before the break. A blistering counter-attack finished by Anthony Gordon drew England level, before Kane’s header deflected off Marc Cucurella to turn the game around.
The key moment came early in the second half. After Jude Bellingham was brought down by Rodri, Kane slipped as he struck his spot-kick, inadvertently hitting the ball twice as it rattled against the underside of the crossbar.
Spain took advantage of the breather, equalizing through Álex Baena after a mistake in England territory before Mikel Oyarzabal struck late on to secure victory.
England boss Tuchel, speaking on ITV Sport, said: “It was a terrible start, the worst possible start.
“It’s very difficult to be behind against these types of teams. At 10-12 minutes, I think we were the better team. We dominated the opposition half.
“We went and scored two goals, and we did the best 15 minutes after the whistle. We couldn’t convert the penalty, I think maybe Spain would have thought that their long unbeaten run ends here.
“Another big, big mistake at 2-2. The third goal, it was the only goal they really scored. It is what it is. We have to go on and learn from it. Take the positives and take the points back to the Czech Republic.”
Gordon was central to England’s best moments in the first half, linking perfectly with Elliot Anderson and Bellingham to beat Unai Simón, before feeding Nico O’Reilly in the build-up to England’s second.
Asked if Gordon’s goal embodied the style England should strive for, Tuchel played down the notion while praising the half-time execution:
“No, Anthony Gordon’s goal was a counterattack.
“The most transition goal we scored, we scored unbelievable goals and we could have created more if we had been a bit more clinical in the last 20 metres.
“We had an unbelievable amount of ball wins. We just couldn’t convert enough chances and goals, otherwise we would have won the game.”
Tuchel also offered a balanced assessment of Gordon’s overall display on the wing:
“Good performance. With ups and downs. Like the team, it’s a team sport.”