England player ratings vs Spain: Bellingham and Gordon impress despite Wembley defeat | OneFootball

England were beaten 3-2 by world champions Spain at Wembley in their opening Nations League match, despite recovering from an early Lamine Yamal goal to take the lead before half-time.

Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane turned the game around for the hosts, but Kane missed a second-half penalty before Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal completed Spain’s comeback.

Here is how we rated England’s players.

England player ratings vs Spain

Goalkeeper & Defence

James Trafford: 6 — Made an important save from Ferran Torres in the first half and was generally composed with the ball, although Spain’s three goals left little room for a higher mark.

Jarell Quansah: 6 — Looked comfortable enough at right-back and offered support going forward, but England needed more from their defensive unit after half-time.

Ezri Konsa: 6 — Had some uncertain moments as Spain increased the pressure but recovered to produce a steadier display as the game progressed.

Marc Guehi: 5 — A costly early mistake gifted Yamal the opening goal and put England on the back foot immediately.

Nico O’Reilly: 6 — Delivered the cross for Kane’s goal and worked hard against Yamal, although his misplaced pass was punished when Spain equalised in the second half.

Midfield & Attack

Elliot Anderson: 7 — Put in a huge amount of work in midfield and helped England compete during an excellent first-half spell, despite Spain finding ways through the midfield after the break.

Myles Lewis-Skelly: 6 — Showed composure in his first England start in central midfield and battled well against Spain’s possession game before being replaced after 70 minutes.

Jude Bellingham: 8 — England’s driving force, supplying Gordon for the equaliser and winning the penalty that Kane struck against the bar; he remained a constant threat throughout.

Bukayo Saka: 6 — Worked hard and found opportunities around the edge of the box but could not produce the decisive contribution England needed.

Anthony Gordon: 8 — A constant threat on the counter, Gordon produced an excellent finish for the equaliser and repeatedly used his pace to trouble Spain’s defence.

Harry Kane: 7 — Put England ahead with a deflected header and remained involved in their attacking play, but his missed penalty after half-time proved a significant turning point.

Substitutes

James Garner (on 70, Lewis-Skelly): 6 — Came on to provide fresh energy in midfield but had limited influence as Spain began to control the game.

Morgan Rogers (on 70, Gordon): 6 — Worked hard after coming on but struggled to reproduce Gordon’s attacking threat.

Morgan Gibbs-White (on 83, Saka): N/A — Had too little time to make a meaningful impact.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (on 83, Kane): N/A — Introduced late as England searched for an equaliser but had little opportunity to influence the result.

Jarrad Branthwaite (on 89, Guehi): N/A — A late defensive change with virtually no time to make an impression.

Not used: Jordan Pickford, Aaron Steele, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Angus Scott, Trevoh Chalobah, Lewis Hall, Eberechi Eze.

The result leaves England with work to do after Spain demonstrated their ability to recover from a difficult first half and take control after the interval. Bellingham and Gordon were the standout performers for the hosts, but the defensive errors and missed penalty ultimately proved costly.

Read more – Premier League clubs explore compensation claims after Man City verdict

See also – Bruno Fernandes: Portugal had ‘point to prove’ against Wales

Follow the Football Faithful on Social Media:

Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | TikTok