Nations League: Which England Star Made a Rare Mistake? Player Ratings vs Spain

Nations League: Which England Star Made a Rare Mistake? Player Ratings vs Spain

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England suffered a 3-2 defeat against world champions Spain in an exciting Nations League encounter, their first fixture since the summer World Cup.

Lamine Yamal opened the scoring for Spain, but Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane responded to move England in front.

Kane later failed to convert a penalty before Alex Baena produced a curling equaliser, and Mikel Oyarzabal then struck the decisive goal.

Here are our assessments of the England players, with supporters also invited to share their opinions in the comments section.

James Trafford: Displayed his confidence in possession during the opening stages, but was beaten after only two minutes when Guehi surrendered the ball to Lamine Yamal. He later made a crucial stop to prevent Torres from doubling Spain’s advantage before half-time. 6

Jarell Quansah: Retained his place at right-back after impressing in the role during the World Cup. He delivered a strong and physical display, although he sent a promising headed opportunity over the crossbar. 6

Ezri Konsa: Endured a few uncertain moments alongside the rest of England’s defence, but recovered his composure and improved as the contest progressed. 6

Marc Guehi: Made a rare mistake that handed possession to Lamine Yamal and directly led to Spain’s opening goal. 5

Nico O’Reilly: Supplied the cross for Kane’s goal as England moved ahead in the first half. He generally handled the difficult assignment of containing Lamine Yamal well, but lost possession in the build-up to Spain’s second goal. 6

Elliot Anderson: Escaped punishment after conceding possession in a dangerous area during the first half, with Ferran Torres placing his attempt wide. Anderson and midfield partner Lewis-Skelly needed time to find their rhythm on a challenging evening against Spain’s slick passing game. 6

Myles Lewis-Skelly: Made his first England start in central midfield after catching the eye for Arsenal. He was given the demanding responsibility of limiting Rodri’s influence at the heart of Spain’s play and produced a composed performance. He was substituted after 70 minutes. 6

Jude Bellingham: The Real Madrid midfielder delivered another commanding performance and deserved more from the match. He created England’s equaliser and earned a penalty, but Kane slipped before striking the crossbar. Bellingham also forced Simon into a sharp save with a powerful stoppage-time effort. 8

Bukayo Saka: Drew several fouls near the penalty area and fired over from the edge of the box during the first half. He sent a curling effort narrowly wide while the scores were level, but otherwise had a subdued evening. 6

Anthony Gordon: The Barcelona winger finished an impressive counter-attack with an excellent goal. After Bellingham released him into space, he used his speed to break clear and remained composed in front of goal. He also delivered a threatening first-half cross and consistently troubled Spain’s defence with runs in behind. 8

Harry Kane: Began moving into deeper positions to find possession after England fell behind in the first half. His deflected header put his side ahead, but he was unable to score from the penalty spot when England had an opportunity to claim a third goal after the interval. 7

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