Harry Kane speaks, starting with that disallowed Danny Welbeck goal. “In those big moments, you need the ref to stay strong and unfortunately he’s just bottled it. Danny’s just stood there, he’s not gone to foul him or anything. Sometimes goalkeepers get better treatment than the rest of us, and that’s unfortunate for us. I think we deserved a draw at least. We had good spells.” Plus, a quick update on Luke Shaw, who is said to be up, walking and talking, which it goes without saying is great news. Anyway, thanks a lot for your company. Here’s Daniel Taylor’s report from Wembley:
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Full-time: England 1-2 Spain
England feel that was definitely a fair goal at the death, with Danny Welbeck having his effort chalked off. Ultimately, first-half goals by Saúl Ñíguez and Rodrigo earn Luis Enrique’s side victory. Glimpses of positivity for Gareth Southgate, but it’s three straight defeats for England, as Spain win at Wembley for the first time since 1981. That’s England’s first competitive defeat at the stadium since November 2007 (2-3 v Croatia), ending a 24-game unbeaten run.
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90+10 min: Gomez is summoned for a long throw, from the left. But it bobbles wide for a corner, and that’s that.
90+9 min: Trippier’s corner in reaches Harry Maguire, who nods goalwards. There’s not an awful lot of power on it, though, and Harry Kane cannot steer it home. England pile forward again ...
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90+6 min: England goal disallowed! Welbeck has the ball in the net, but the England striker is penalised for fouling David De Gea. The Spain goalkeeper makes a meal of a high ball, a result of a sliced clearance by Sergio Ramos, and as the ball lands, Welbeck just pokes home, with De Gea floored. But De Gea’s fall was all of his own doing.
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90+4 min: Danny Welbeck replaces the goalscorer, Marcus Rashford. He ought to have pulled England level too, but shot straight at De Gea after good work by the captain, Harry Kane.
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90+3 min: Danny Rose is booked for flying through the legs of Carvajal.
90+2 min: Iñigo Martínez wins a corner for Spain, but they only send three men up for it. Sergio Ramos is one of them, and he somehow reaches the ball at the back post, but his volley is wayward. Stones then surrenders possession on the edge of the box, with Rodrigo curling a shot wide. Pickford was in a spot of bother for a minute.
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90 min: There will be nine added minutes, most of which are surely owing to that injury to Luke Shaw early on in this half.
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88 min: Isco dances away from Dier on halfway, before Lingard goes through the back of the Real Madrid man, who has shown some very silky touches. England, though, re-build, with Maguire, of all people, floating down the left flank.
87 min: Another chance for Spain; Iñigo Martínez is on for Alonso.
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85 min: Spain have suddenly drifted off the pace, and the pressure is building, with England upping the ante. Danny Rose is almost in, but Nacho nips in to seize possession. From the resulting corner, Maguire nods wide. Still, this is much better from England.
84 min: Rashford shoots at goal but he’s flagged – just – offside. De Gea’s right leg keeps it out anyway but the England striker made much better contact with that effort, driving the ball across goal.
82 min: Dani Carvajal picks up a fairly tame booking.
80 min: Rashford smashes the ball at De Gea – but he should score! Like a magnet, Kane lures a sea of Spain shirts towards him as he drives into the box before slipping the ball into the Manchester United forward. Rashford shifts the ball on to his right foot, but his effort at goal is relatively poor, straight at the Spain goalkeeper. Anywhere else, and England may just be level. Kane then tries to fire the rebound home but shoots wide. That was a spark.
79 min: Trippier and Rose attempt to make inroads down the right and left flanks respectively. A bit of hot air, if nothing else. And now Sergi Roberto replaces Thiago. Spain, with 10 minutes of normal time remaining, seem to be coasting towards their first win over England at Wembley since 1981.
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76 min: Rashford has a pop from 25 yards, but a Spanish block takes the pace off it. The striker did well initially, lofting a ball into Alli, who flicked into the path of Lingard. England recycled possession on the edge of the box, before Rashford let fly. Nothing more than a glimpse of goal, really.
75 min: Danny Rose has not done himself a disservice since coming on; he’s just bundled his way down the left with Kane almost reaping the reward of his energies. Meanwhile, there’s more activity on the Spain bench.
73 min: Ramos intervenes, just as Rashford puts on the afterburners to meet a fine through ball. The Spain defender, amid all the jeers, has not put a foot wrong.
72 min: Spain are in total control, with England struggling to assert themselves; Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard really have done next to nothing this half. Rashford and Kane have barely been involved, either, with the former just overhitting a simple pass for Trippier. That sort of sums things up for England at the moment.
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70 min: 81,392 supporters inside Wembley this evening.
69 min: Alonso’s free-kick is whipped in from the left, and it’s dangerous. But England clear it, with Isco fluffing his lines on the edge of the box, kicking thin air as he looked to volley goalwards.
68 min: And now Trippier fouls Saúl Ñíguez. England are getting a little snappy out there, frustrated as the game slips away from them. On the touchline, Marco Asensio will replace Iago Aspas.
67 min: Isco has a dig, but England’s wall stands firm. It loops up into the air, with Danny Rose heading clear. But, back come Spain.
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65 min: Stones is booked for a desperate challenge on Rodrigo, but the England defender did seem to win the ball, swiping it away from the Spain striker’s feet. Things looked very dangerous for a moment, with Saúl Ñíguez sliding the forward in on goal. So, Spain have a free-kick 20 yards from goal ...
64 min: Eric Dier replaces Jordan Henderson, who has not had the best of games in midfield. It’s all gone a little stale for England.
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62 min: Rose does well down the left, flying forward after taking on the baton from Rashford. He beats two men before his cross is blocked. But England fail to gain any real ground from the throw-in, with Spain gobbling up the ball. When it comes back down the right, Kane is just offside after meeting Trippier’s ball in.
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60 min: Pickford comfortably gathers Isco’s effort from Marcos Alonso’s low cross. It was straight at the England goalkeeper. The hosts are struggling to get a grip on this second half.
59 min: Ramos fizzes a pass forward into the path of Saúl Ñíguez, but the midfielder cannot latch on to it. Spain are certainly probing.
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58 min: Spain are going through the gears a little, with Thiago becoming increasingly influential. He has just had another effort blocked from distance, with England firmly on the back foot. In terms of that Shaw stoppage, we can expect at least seven minutes of added time.
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54 min: Thiago sends an effort arcing over Pickford’s goal! Alli makes a fluffy attempt at a block and the Bayern Munich midfielder goes close. England, understandably, look a little shaken after that horrible collision for Shaw, who was eventually carried off wearing what looked to be a neck brace and receiving oxygen.
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53 min: Shaw is lifted on to the stretcher. England’s medics carry him off the pitch as England’s players try to focus on it. Rose is on.
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49 min: Wembley has fallen very flat, almost silent. Danny Rose is warming up as Luke Shaw receives treatment. There’s a stretcher on the pitch, and England staff and players look very concerned.
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47 min: A nasty clash of heads between Shaw and Carvajal, with the former appearing to come off far worse. He’s grounded, Southgate a little concerned. It did look like a bad fall, so let’s hope he’s OK. Up in the stands, Mourinho, sat in between Sir Trevor Brooking and Aitor Karanka, looks a little bit twitchy, texting away.
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46 min: Spain get us going again, with Rodrigo flagged offside.
The last email before the second half gets started. “For this formation to work, England has to find a better No 6 than Henderson,” says Ben McD. “Eric Dier wasn’t convincing in Russia, either. Pardon the rhyme, but Cook needs a look.” Lewis Cook must be very close to getting into this squad, as must his Bournemouth team-mate, Callum Wilson.
“Doh!” begins Keith Sanderson, via email. “Kane - From Golden boot to golden b*lls up. This is still doable but we have to try to keep the ball longer. Dele needs to get more involved too, he just seems so slow to me. Sloppy goals aside we’ve done quite well and can cause them problems.” Kyle, also on email, adds: “Rashford has looked good going forward it might be hard for Sterling to get back in. Luke Shaw has played well. Not a bad first half but we need to be better on the ball as we saw against Croatia we need to be better at possession when they press our back three.”
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Some half-time reading:
Peter Taylor, the one-time England manager, is fighting for survival at the foot of the National League with Dagenham & Redbridge. The reaction to the latest stop in the 65-year-old’s itinerant career has been consistent. Wow! And also, why?
This is not the sort of move former England managers make. Who could envisage, say, Sven-Göran Eriksson – the man for whom Taylor kept the England seat warm on a caretaker basis in 2000 – at Braintree or Boreham Wood? “Ha. No, definitely not,” Taylor says, with a smile.
Forget the Nations League, what about the Football League?
Half-time: England 1-2 Spain
Goals by Saúl Ñíguez and Rodrigo put Spain ahead at the interval, though England took the lead through Marcus Rashford.
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44 min: England are just getting a little frustrated, with Spain sapping the early optimism out of Gareth Southgate’s side. Along the touchline, Luis Enrique will be happy with his first 45 minutes in charge of his country.
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40 min: A replay of Rodrigo’s goal makes pretty painful viewing. England were punished for some sloppy defending, with Henderson and Kane both guilty of not doing their bit at the front post. And now Shaw is booked for a clumsy lunge on Carvajal, just as the Spain defender dived inside with the ball. England look a bit frail in those wing-back areas, defensively at least.
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38 min: Spain attempt to settle things down in the only way they know how: by redeeming and then dominating possession.
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35 min: Rashford almost helps himself to a second goal! De Gea makes an instinctive save to deny England an equaliser, keeping Rashford’s header from Jesse Lingard’s cute cross in out with both hands. It was relatively straightforward for De Gea to deal with, in truth. The hosts get straight back on the ball, fizzing in another quick corner with England determined to get back at Spain.
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34 min: England come down the left once more, again through Shaw. His attempted cross is shut off by Spain, so they switch flanks. The ball is whipped in by Henderson from deep but Kane cannot reach it. It was a neat ball in by the Liverpool midfielder.
GOAL! England 1-2 Spain (Rodrigo, 31)
Harry Kane allows the striker to dart past him at the near post, and the Spain forward gladly converts Thiago’s low free-kick from close range. It is oh so simple for Spain, and that’s a disappointing goal for England to concede, with Jordan Pickford powerless from preventing Spain from taking the lead. England were static as Spain came alive in the box, with Rodrigo, the former Bolton striker capitalising on some slack defending.
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30 min: Trippier slides in on Marcos Alonso, earning a ticking off from the referee in the process. Spain will send a free-kick in from the left ...
29 min: Aspas strikes at goal but England manage to block its path to goal. Rodrigo did well to latch on to a smart ball by Carvajal. Shaw was half-asleep as the striker ghosted in behind him but Spain cannot quite work it to anyone in space. Eventually, Aspas gets hold of it but England clear their lines. And Spain will go again down the right.
27 min: Alli has a half-chance after running on from midfield, but in the end it was a fairly tame effort. Kane was there to help too.
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25 min: Stones drives into the Spain half, with the visitors camped out in front of him, but the England defender hoofs the ball long. It’s hopeful and David de Gea has a goal-kick to play with.
23 min: Half-hearted England penalty appeals are waved away! Spain play an almightily high line from Shaw’s deep free-kick, but Kane is crowded out by Saúl and Thiago. Kane’s not even asking for it, in fairness. It was a decent ball in by Shaw, 45 yards out or so, won by Harry Maguire, of course. Or Slabhead, to his mates.
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22 min: England win a goal-kick, with Stones and Pickford having a productive conversation of sorts about something. At the back, England have looked comfortable without being convincing.
21 min: Spain are stroking it about, with Ramos soaking up the jeers of 80,000-odd England supporters. He’s not too fussed, though.
20 min: Busquets is pulled up for a high foot on Trippier, allowing England to regroup. They switch the ball down the left, to Shaw, who has been lively so far. Going forward, Dele Alli’s been anonymous.
17 min: Lingard tries to slide in Kane, but De Gea rushes out to diffuse the situation. Spain break, and Henderson’s booked after losing the foot-race with Marcos Alonso.
16 min: No goals for a couple of minutes, but England are trying to settle things down. They’re knocking the ball about in defence.
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GOAL! England 1-1 Spain (Saúl, 13)
Ah. Dani Carvajal bombs down the right, evading Shaw who dives in, and cuts it back for Rodrigo who plays in Saúl. He powers home and, barely 60 seconds after going behind, Spain are level.
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GOAL! England 1-0 Spain (Rashford, 11)
A slick counter attack! Luke Shaw does brilliantly, surging down the left, slipping a lovely ball in for his Manchester United team-mate to just slot beyond David de Gea. It’s all smiles for Mr Mourinho up in the stands. That was on the back of a Spain attack, when a straightforward ball over the top was not dealt with by the three England centre-backs. Rodrigo looked to steal in as Maguire stumbles and fall, but Shaw headed clear. Then, back came the ball, from right-to-left, via Kane, the captain, and England lead.
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9 min: Kane picks the ball up just inside the Spain half, and probes forward, with Rashford the obvious target. He slides a ball through, but Ramos is there to sweep it up. They’ll go again, with Pickford kickstarting another move forward.
8 min: The ball comes in, but Sergio Busquets fails to make much of it. Iago Aspas has a free header at the back post but he cannot steer it goalwards.
7 min: Gomez is a bit eager in the challenge, with Saul upended on the edge of the 18-yard box. Spain have a free-kick, down the left flank.
5 min: Back come Spain, but Aspas cannot feed off Rodrigo’s flick.
4 min: Pickford plays a cute ball out the back for Stones, but it was almost too clever. Rodrigo is lurking, but the England defender scoops it up and shifts the ball on. Rashford then wins the throw-in out wide, as England look to buildup some sustained pressure.
3 min: Thiago’s ball pinballs off a couple of shirts on halfway, allowing Kane to break with the ball. But, he’s all on his own and is eventually crowded out by a sea of Spain bodies. Plenty of zip to England’s start.
2 min: Aspas looks to play an inviting ball through but England snuff it out and attack down the right hand side, with Trippier lashing the ball in. It’s cleared, but England are pressing Spain very high.
1 min: Maguire marauds forward early on, but he slightly overruns the ball. Spain gobble up possession, with Sergio Ramos heavily booed as the home crowd start a rendition of summer hit ‘Southgate, you’re the one’, a la Atomic Kitten’s ‘Whole Again’.
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Peeeeeeeeeep!
Jesse Lingard gets things under way for England.
The teams are trotting out on to the turf at a wagging Wembley. Kane, wearing those glistening golden boots, leads out England. He’s presented with the Golden Boot award from this summer’s World Cup by his manager, Gareth Southgate. And here come the anthems ...
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A couple of killer pre-match Wembley stats: England have won 14 successive competitive fixtures at the national stadium, a run that stretches back to October 2012. And, better still, England are unbeaten at Wembley in each of their last 24 competitive matches (W21 D3) since a 3-2 loss to Croatia in November 2007.
Things have finally come full circle for Luke Shaw, who makes his first England start in three years. Injuries and form have hampered his progress but he’s impressed in a Manchester United shirt this season. As for Joe Gomez, another nod to the Charlton Athletic academy, with Ezri Konsa, now of Brentford, impressing for the England Under-21s earlier this week.
Gareth Southgate speaks pre-match. “It’s good for the players to feel the warmth and the reception, but we’re really focussed on what happens next. It’s about performance, we have taken a lot of belief from the matches in the summer in terms of playing under pressure but we know there’s a way to go still. We have to attack and be positive about our performance.” Of his team selection, preferring Joe Gomez to Kyle Walker, he replies: “Joe is a young player that we think a lot of, we want to have a look at him in a good-quality game. In Joe, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford, they are three young players we want to invest some time in now. We want to have a look at a few different things. Kyle will play on Tuesday [against Switzerland] and we will look to use the whole squad over this period on games.”
These two have not met in a competitive fixture since Euro 96, when Gareth Southgate was part of the England team that defeated Spain 4-2 on penalties at the old Wembley. They drew 2-2 in a friendly in November 2016, with Aspas and Isco scoring late on.
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Earlier on in the Nations League (still feels a bit odd):
Luis Enrique’s squad features four Chelsea players, but only one of whom starts: Marcos Alonso. The defender lines up at Wembley alongside the Valencia striker Rodrigo, formerly Bolton team-mates in 2010. Funny old game, eh? Kepa Arrizabalaga, Cesar Azpilicueta and Alvaro Morata make up the Chelsea factor. For England, it’s a big night for Shaw and Gomez to showcase their ability. On the bench, there’s three goalkeepers; Marcus Bettinelli, Alex McCarthy and Jack Butland, the former a late call-up, replacing Lallana.
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John Terry, the former England captain, is on the move:
Terry is set to complete a surprise move to Spartak Moscow after reportedly accepting a one-year deal with the Russian side. The former Chelsea and England captain had been without a club since his contract with Aston Villa expired at the end of last season.
Terry was due to appear in a charity match on Saturday at Celtic Park but pulled out of the event in order to undergo a medical in Rome ahead of his move to the Russian capital. Spartak, currently second in the Russian Premier League, are managed by Massimo Carrera who worked under Antonio Conte at Juventus and with Italy.
Headline team news: Marcus Rashford gets the nod up front alongside Harry Kane, while there are also starts for Joe Gomez and Luke Shaw, who have both made impressive inroads already this season. Luis Enrique, meanwhile, having dropped Jordi Alba from the squad, has named Marcos Alonso at left-back, with Nacho inheriting the centre-back spot that belonged to the retired Gerard Pique. As for in attack, Iago Aspas will likely play off of Rodrigo, preferred to Morata.
The teams!
England (3-5-2): Pickford; Maguire, Stones, Gomez; Trippier, Henderson, Alli, Shaw, Lingard; Rashford, Kane
Subs: Butland, Walker, Alexander-Arnold, Rose, Tarkowski, Dier, Loftus-Cheek, Delph, Welbeck, McCarthy, Bettinelli
Spain (4-3-3): De Gea; Carvajal, Nacho, Ramos, Alonso; Busquets, Saúl, Thiago, Isco, Aspas, Rodrigo
Subs: Arrizabalaga, Pau, Albiol, Martinez, Morata, Suso, Azpilicueta, Rodri, Gaya, Roberto, Asensio, Ceballos
Referee: Danny Makkelie (Netherlands)
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Preamble
Gareth Southgate has been at pains to say how England want to improve themselves against the best, permanently hoodwinking themselves into eating at the top table after a rousing run to the World Cup semi-finals. They have played Spain, Germany, Brazil and Italy in the past 18 months, but have drawn all four matches. As Southgate says, they have to convince themselves that Russia wasn’t a one-off. One way to do just that is to oust Spain in front of a Wembley high on feel-good factor, packed to the rafters. “To be up there, consistently, in these tournaments you’re going to have to beat these nations. It’ll be a big test, Spain are very good but if we do win it’ll give us huge belief.”
Harry Kane, the England captain, will be wearing personalised golden boots, while Raheem Sterling and Adam Lallana both pulled out of the squad with niggles earlier this week. This will be England’s first taste of the Uefa Nations League but on Tuesday night, England will have another chance to build a little momentum, against Switzerland in a friendly. Southgate is still modelling his England team, but this Spain team are not flawless either, in a transition of their own. This is Luis Enrique’s first match in charge, yet the former Barcelona manager has already put his finger on what’s been going wrong. “The objective is to evolve and stop being predictable,” he says. In the meantime, catch up on England previews from our writers.
Kick-off: 7.45pm (BST)
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