England player ratings vs Spain: Jude Bellingham shines while Marc Guehi struggles in a thrilling five-goal match
England lost 3-2 to Spain in an exciting Nations League match at Wembley, with both teams putting on a five-goal show.
Thomas Tuchel’s side got off to a tough start, as less than two minutes in, Lamine Yamal took the ball from Marc Guehi near England’s goal and fired a shot that hit the post and went in.
Spain had chances to extend their lead early on. Ferran Torres was played through twice, but England’s goalkeeper James Trafford made a great save the first time, and Torres missed the second chance by shooting just wide.
After Spain missed several chances, England hit back with a quick counter-attack. Anthony Gordon and Jude Bellingham combined brilliantly on the halfway line, leading to Gordon slipping the ball past Spain’s keeper Unai Simon to equalize.
Just two minutes later, England took the lead when Harry Kane’s header, helped by a deflection off a Spanish defender, found the net.
Right after the break, England had a chance to make it 3-1 when Bellingham was fouled in the box. Kane took the penalty but hit the crossbar, and Spain quickly responded. Alex Baena curled a beautiful shot past Trafford to make it 2-2.
Baena then assisted Mikel Oyarzabal, who chipped the ball over the keeper to complete Spain’s comeback. Despite England pushing hard for another equalizer, they couldn’t find the goal.
Here’s how the England players performed in this thrilling game against the world champions:
Goalkeeper James Trafford faced a tough challenge and wasn’t helped much by his teammates’ mistakes, but he made some smart saves, including one against Torres.
The defender from Bayer Leverkusen played solid defense but lacked sharpness when attacking. He found great positions but didn’t deliver the quality passes or shots England needed.
Ezri Konsa had a solid game and was one of the few defenders careful with possession, though like the others, he struggled against Spain’s strong attacks.
Marc Guehi had a rough start as he lost the ball to Yamal, which led to the first goal, and didn’t play much better afterward.
Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly was key to England’s second goal with a perfect cross but made a costly error later by giving the ball straight to Baena, who scored.
Jude Bellingham showed his usual fighting spirit, breaking up Spain’s play and helping with the counterattack. He also won the penalty but was substituted in the 70th minute.
Anthony Gordon battled well against Spain’s left-back Cucurella, often getting the better of him and giving England some attacking energy on the right.
Jude Bellingham was again crucial, delivering the perfect pass for Gordon’s goal and winning the penalty. His powerful runs made him a constant threat, and he earned warm applause when replaced.
Captain Harry Kane had a mixed game. He got lucky with his first goal after a deflection but missed a key penalty that could have sealed the game. Those misses allowed Spain to come back and eventually win.
Substitutes:
The Everton player had a decent time on the pitch and almost assisted Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
Another substitute showed flashes of skill in attack but didn’t find a teammate to finish his good cross.
Overall, it was a tough, thrilling match with lots of highs and lows for England against a very strong Spain team.