England 1-2 Spain
These two nations had not met in a competitive match since Euro 1996.
On that occasion, I watched the encounter with my best friend on a balmy sunny afternoon in June willing England on as the excitement of football’s ‘coming home’ really did mesmerise a nation.
Forgive me for being cynical, but this newly formed UEFA Nations League just doesn’t do it for me generally (and obviously not in the same way as that quarter-final of a major tournament did).
But ignore my echoes of a glorious yesteryear, SBOBET followers.
For this is a new era now, and the early matches of this new competition suggest we could be in for a plethora of UEFA Nation League 2018 highlights.
England – rightly or wrongly – are optimistic again.
Twenty-two years on, Spain are too – and they have won one World Cup and two European Championships in the meantime!
Highlights of the game
This was an ideal opportunity for England to end what manager Gareth Southgate called their ‘non-existent track record’ against leading nations, and he included Manchester United full-back Luke Shaw and Liverpool defender Joe Gomez – neither of whom were in Russia but had promising starts to the new domestic season – in his starting line-up.
Marcus Rashford – a little bit unfortunate in his outing for United last weekend – was also included with Raheem Sterling ruled out by injury.
Many England fans would have liked Rashford to have been selected in Sterling’s place during Russia 2018, and you could see why just 11 minutes in.
That’s how long it took the talented youngster to sweep the ball past club teammate David de Gea after a superb ball from the marauding Shaw, released by skipper Harry Kane.
This wasn’t an ideal start in his first game in charge for manager Luis Enrique, who says he wants to change the Spanish national side’s possession-focused style.
Certainly, the intention to get the ball into attacking areas more quickly than in recent seasons paid dividends, though, as the visitors immediately hit back.
Just two minutes after Rashford’s opener, Thiago Alcantara broke free of the home backline and Saul Niguez expertly swept the ball beyond Jordan Pickford.
The tone had been set for an entertaining evening under the floodlights in London.
It certainly was a major boost for Niguez too – he hadn’t featured for a single minute at Russia 2018 – yet this was a quick reward for the faith Enrique had shown in him.
The pattern of play largely remained. Spain, dominating possession and always threatening. England, dangerous on the counter-attack and at set-pieces.
From one such ‘dead ball’, De Gea kept out a Kane header after he beat Sergio Ramos to the ball.
England’s Achilles heel, however, is their defence, and it showed again just past the hour mark.
Rodrigo, formerly of Bolton Wanderers, tapped the ball in after slack marking, again from an Alcantara delivery.
A Rashford header from a Jesse Lingard ball forced De Gea into action as England threatened to hit back, but then it was Pickford denying Niguez from his second.
It was always going to be difficult for the first half to live up to the second, and so it proved as Spain had the better of the game. But few chances were created – Alcantara clipping the roof of the net, Niguez testing Pickford again and Kane going close from a tricky angle on the left.
A head injury to Shaw just after the restart certainly took the gloss off the game and led to a seven-minute delay and the full-back being stretchered off wearing a neck brace and requiring oxygen.
Indeed, the television company screening the match in the UK refused to show replays of the incident
After little luck with injuries since September 2015, it’s hoped he can make a speedy recovery.
He deserves it, too. Spain deserved this success.
Key statistics
England have won one of their last six matches against Spain.
England striker Kane officially received the Golden Boot as the top scorer in the World Cup before this match. Remember his six goals (three from the penalty spot) came against Tunisia, Panama and Colombia.
What’s next?
A friendly now follows for England who welcome Switzerland to Leicester’s King Power Stadium in midweek.
The UEFA Nations League 2018 odds will no doubt change again after Spain play their second match of the tournament by hosting defeated World Cup finalists Croatia at the Martinez Valero in Elche.
This is League A Group Four of the tournament. If you are still unsure of the format, take a look at this.
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