England 1-2 Spain - England Outclassed by Spain UEFA Nations League Opening Match Defeat
Promotion, relegation and 4 qualification spots for Euro 2020 at stake. The inaugural UEFA Nations League (UNL) has the potential to be an exciting competition for all involved. The tournament was designed to remove 'meaningless' friendlies and allow national teams to play competitive fixtures in the break between tournaments, making every game matter. As well as opening 4 new qualification spots to Euro 2020. The UNL will be held every two years between September and November, with the finals being held in June the following year. The 55 UEFA nations will compete in 4 leagues, A, B, C and D. Leagues A and B will contain 12 teams, League C will contain 15 and League D will include 16. The leagues will be determined in correlation to the UEFA rankings. Each league is then divided into 4 groups of 3 or 4 teams. This is where it gets confusing!
Each of the 16 group winners will be entered into the Euro 2020 Play-offs. These 16 teams will be placed in 4 groups of 4 teams and will play in single-legged semi-finals and finals. With the 4 winning nations qualifying for Euro 2020. Although, if a team in the UNL has already qualified for the Euros, the next highest ranked team in the league will go through to the play-offs. Technically, group B could potentially be the best league for smaller nations that may miss out on Euro 2020 qualification to have an opportunity at securing a place. If all 12 teams in the top league qualify through the traditional route, in theory the 4 highest ranked teams in League B who didn't win their groups will be entered in the Euro 2020 Play-offs. However, if a highly ranked team misses out on qualification through traditional methods, then they will have an extra chance at qualification.
Spain and England share their UEFA Nations League group with 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia in Group 4. England will look to get revenge over Croatia as it was them who put an end to their World Cup dreams and hopes. Group 4 looks to be one of the hardest groups in League A. Competing with Group 1 which contains the Netherlands, 2018 World Cup winners France and 2014 World Cup Winners Germany.
England return to Wembley for the first time since their outstanding World Cup campaign and will be welcomed home by a sell-out crowd. The Three Lions will look to continue their success as they host Spain in the UEFA Nations League in a game that is sure to excite. Gareth Southgate and his team well and truly rekindled a dying fire and got England fans interested in the national team again. After a decade of poor tournament performances, England exceeded all expectations and reached the World Cup semi-finals, their first since Italia 90 under Sir Bobby Robson, and only their third ever. While Southgate named a largely unchanged squad from the World Cup as this young England team continues to grow and develop, multiple youth players have made the England squad for these games against Spain and Switzerland, including the likes of Fulham goalkeeper, Bettinelli and Burnley defender, James Tarkowski. Joe Gomez also makes his return to the England side, a nice sight for Charlton fans as the academy graduate continues to shine on the international stage. Gomez would have likely travelled with England to the World Cup if not for an ill-timed injury. Another refreshing change is the return of Luke Shaw following some superb performances for Manchester United after his return from an injury hit few years. Shaw suffered a broken leg against Dutch side, PSV in 2016, followed by a foot injury in 2017.
In contrast to England's campaign, Spain's faced a managerial disaster just days before the World Cup kicked off! Julen Lopetegui was sacked as Spain manager after it was announced that he would take over Real Madrid following the World Cup. Lopetegui and Madrid went behind the Spanish national teams back, which resulted in Lopetegui's sacking on the eve of the tournament. Former player and legend Fernando Hierro would be promoted from coach to manager for the World Cup. Hierro guided his team to the round of 16 in an ultimately disappointing World Cup campaign for Spain. The 2010 World Cup winners were knocked out by hosts Russia, leaving the Spanish feeling a sense of 'what could have been'. Especially considering the form the Spanish side had under Lopetegui. They hadn't lost in 20 games and had scored in all of them. Another impressive statistic is the fact that Spain haven’t lost any of their last 24 matches in regulation time; with their last coming against Italy at the 2016 Euros in France.
Since the conclusion of the World Cup, former Barcelona and Real Madrid player and Barcelona manager, Luis Enrique would be made permanent manager. Enrique made several changes to the Spanish team. Marcos Alonso makes a rare appearance for Spain after being capped only a handful of times before. While Diego Costa was withdrawn due to personal reasons and the absence of Gerard Piqué meant the introduction of Napoli defender Raúl Albiol.
England pressured high up the pitch but Spain played out of the back with composure, calmness and pace; all things England lacked when they attempted to do so. Spain dominated possession, as was to be expected, but England regained possession well. The tournament, so far, is achieving what it was designed to do. A good competitive, entertaining, enthralling encounter full of action. Similar to how England fared at the World Cup, England were being exploited down the wings. A flaw of the 5-3-2 system Southgate is implementing and something that will need addressing and ironing out soon if England are to be successful against the top nations.
The second half resumed is horrendous fashion. Shaw’s injury run continued after he contested with Carvajal for a header but a collision and an awkward landing saw Shaw’s head hit the deck in what looked to be a horrific injury. Shaw remained down for 5 minutes and required 10-15 medics and a stretcher. Spain then turned on the class after swiftly moving the ball around England’s box, Alonso’s cross bounced through the England defence to Thiago, whose half-volley from just inside the 18-yard dipped narrowly over Pickford’s bar. While Spain dominated possession for the first half of the second half, England regained control and began to create chances as they pushed for an equaliser. Trippier’s curled ball over Sergio Ramos was met by Kane but his shot rolled wide. Although he was offside, you’d expect Kane to at least get the effort on target. As the game entered the final stages, England began to push harder. Kane’s flick and Rashford’s first touch saw Rashford beat Nacho and Ramos to create space for a shot. However, Rashford could only fire at De Gea. Rashford then found himself one-on-one again as Lingard’s through ball was perfectly weighted, but again De Gea saved. Despite the offside call, England were creating multiple good chances and most involved Rashford.
With 9 minutes added time, England thought they clinched a 96th minute equaliser only for it to be harshly, perhaps wrongly, disallowed. Joe Gomez’ deflected cross was sliced by Ramos and looped up rather than away, forcing De Gea into a difficult save under the presence of substitute Danny Welbeck. De Gea spilled it, leaving Welbeck to roll into an open net, but the referee “bottled it”. England then had one last throw of the dice. From a corner, Maguire’s header floated inches past Kane’s boot as he attempted to poke past De Gea.
England lost their competitive match at Wembley since 2007 and lost 3 games in a row for the first time 30
years as they left it too little too late against a quality Spain side. England did well in the first half, creating chances, taking the lead and pushing Spain. The Three Lions were dominated for the beginning of the second half as Spain controlled the game well, but improved for the second half of the second half. Spain dominated possession as was expected, so England pressed high. Spain were able to play out with calmness and composure, however; something England lacked. England now sit bottom of their UNL group, with Spain sitting top and playing Croatia on Tuesday, when England face Switzerland in Leicester in an international friendly.
While this was Spain’s first game under Luis Enrique, the players know how to play together and have done so domestically and nationally for many years. While there has been instability within the manager position, the players still know how to play fluid passing football and the inconsistency over the Summer hasn’t looked to have affected them. They were still tested by England on multiple occasions and on another day could have drawn this game.
Each of the 16 group winners will be entered into the Euro 2020 Play-offs. These 16 teams will be placed in 4 groups of 4 teams and will play in single-legged semi-finals and finals. With the 4 winning nations qualifying for Euro 2020. Although, if a team in the UNL has already qualified for the Euros, the next highest ranked team in the league will go through to the play-offs. Technically, group B could potentially be the best league for smaller nations that may miss out on Euro 2020 qualification to have an opportunity at securing a place. If all 12 teams in the top league qualify through the traditional route, in theory the 4 highest ranked teams in League B who didn't win their groups will be entered in the Euro 2020 Play-offs. However, if a highly ranked team misses out on qualification through traditional methods, then they will have an extra chance at qualification.
Spain and England share their UEFA Nations League group with 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia in Group 4. England will look to get revenge over Croatia as it was them who put an end to their World Cup dreams and hopes. Group 4 looks to be one of the hardest groups in League A. Competing with Group 1 which contains the Netherlands, 2018 World Cup winners France and 2014 World Cup Winners Germany.
Deco and Claudio Ranieri Draw the Teams for UEFA Nations League A
England return to Wembley for the first time since their outstanding World Cup campaign and will be welcomed home by a sell-out crowd. The Three Lions will look to continue their success as they host Spain in the UEFA Nations League in a game that is sure to excite. Gareth Southgate and his team well and truly rekindled a dying fire and got England fans interested in the national team again. After a decade of poor tournament performances, England exceeded all expectations and reached the World Cup semi-finals, their first since Italia 90 under Sir Bobby Robson, and only their third ever. While Southgate named a largely unchanged squad from the World Cup as this young England team continues to grow and develop, multiple youth players have made the England squad for these games against Spain and Switzerland, including the likes of Fulham goalkeeper, Bettinelli and Burnley defender, James Tarkowski. Joe Gomez also makes his return to the England side, a nice sight for Charlton fans as the academy graduate continues to shine on the international stage. Gomez would have likely travelled with England to the World Cup if not for an ill-timed injury. Another refreshing change is the return of Luke Shaw following some superb performances for Manchester United after his return from an injury hit few years. Shaw suffered a broken leg against Dutch side, PSV in 2016, followed by a foot injury in 2017.
In contrast to England's campaign, Spain's faced a managerial disaster just days before the World Cup kicked off! Julen Lopetegui was sacked as Spain manager after it was announced that he would take over Real Madrid following the World Cup. Lopetegui and Madrid went behind the Spanish national teams back, which resulted in Lopetegui's sacking on the eve of the tournament. Former player and legend Fernando Hierro would be promoted from coach to manager for the World Cup. Hierro guided his team to the round of 16 in an ultimately disappointing World Cup campaign for Spain. The 2010 World Cup winners were knocked out by hosts Russia, leaving the Spanish feeling a sense of 'what could have been'. Especially considering the form the Spanish side had under Lopetegui. They hadn't lost in 20 games and had scored in all of them. Another impressive statistic is the fact that Spain haven’t lost any of their last 24 matches in regulation time; with their last coming against Italy at the 2016 Euros in France.
Since the conclusion of the World Cup, former Barcelona and Real Madrid player and Barcelona manager, Luis Enrique would be made permanent manager. Enrique made several changes to the Spanish team. Marcos Alonso makes a rare appearance for Spain after being capped only a handful of times before. While Diego Costa was withdrawn due to personal reasons and the absence of Gerard Piqué meant the introduction of Napoli defender Raúl Albiol.
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Gareth Southgate Awards Harry Kane World Cup Golden Boot Trophy Prior to Kick-Off
England and Spain matched each other for the opening stage and it was England who found themselves ahead. The Three Lions countered after a promising Spain attack. Shaw denied Rodrigo one-on-one with a great tackle, some nice interlinking passing down the right saw Jordan Henderson release Harry Kane, who in turn released Shaw on the left flank. Shaw dribbled forward and delivered a cultured ball directly into the feet of Marcus Rashford who slotted calmly past his Manchester United teammate, David De Gea. England were only ahead for a minute as the game sprung into life. Dani Carvajal burst forward from right-back, played in Rodrigo inside the England area, who then pulled
back to find Saúl who sent a low driven shot into the bottom right corner to level the score and score his first international goal. As the Three Lions were attacking, Spain won a free-kick in a promising position on the left-wing on the half hour mark. Poor defending from England saw Thiago’s cross flicked in by Rodrigo. Kane lost his man while Henderson didn’t cover the near post, resulting in a tap-in for Rodrigo. In pursuit of an equaliser, Trippier took a short, quick corner and Jesse Lingard’s cross was met by Rashford and forced De Gea into a great reactionary save.Gareth Southgate Awards Harry Kane World Cup Golden Boot Trophy Prior to Kick-Off
England pressured high up the pitch but Spain played out of the back with composure, calmness and pace; all things England lacked when they attempted to do so. Spain dominated possession, as was to be expected, but England regained possession well. The tournament, so far, is achieving what it was designed to do. A good competitive, entertaining, enthralling encounter full of action. Similar to how England fared at the World Cup, England were being exploited down the wings. A flaw of the 5-3-2 system Southgate is implementing and something that will need addressing and ironing out soon if England are to be successful against the top nations.
Spanish Players Celebrate Goals that Complete Their Comeback
The second half resumed is horrendous fashion. Shaw’s injury run continued after he contested with Carvajal for a header but a collision and an awkward landing saw Shaw’s head hit the deck in what looked to be a horrific injury. Shaw remained down for 5 minutes and required 10-15 medics and a stretcher. Spain then turned on the class after swiftly moving the ball around England’s box, Alonso’s cross bounced through the England defence to Thiago, whose half-volley from just inside the 18-yard dipped narrowly over Pickford’s bar. While Spain dominated possession for the first half of the second half, England regained control and began to create chances as they pushed for an equaliser. Trippier’s curled ball over Sergio Ramos was met by Kane but his shot rolled wide. Although he was offside, you’d expect Kane to at least get the effort on target. As the game entered the final stages, England began to push harder. Kane’s flick and Rashford’s first touch saw Rashford beat Nacho and Ramos to create space for a shot. However, Rashford could only fire at De Gea. Rashford then found himself one-on-one again as Lingard’s through ball was perfectly weighted, but again De Gea saved. Despite the offside call, England were creating multiple good chances and most involved Rashford.
With 9 minutes added time, England thought they clinched a 96th minute equaliser only for it to be harshly, perhaps wrongly, disallowed. Joe Gomez’ deflected cross was sliced by Ramos and looped up rather than away, forcing De Gea into a difficult save under the presence of substitute Danny Welbeck. De Gea spilled it, leaving Welbeck to roll into an open net, but the referee “bottled it”. England then had one last throw of the dice. From a corner, Maguire’s header floated inches past Kane’s boot as he attempted to poke past De Gea.
Infuriated England Players Complain to Referee Danny Makkelie After Harshly Disallowed Goal Denies Late Equaliser
While this was Spain’s first game under Luis Enrique, the players know how to play together and have done so domestically and nationally for many years. While there has been instability within the manager position, the players still know how to play fluid passing football and the inconsistency over the Summer hasn’t looked to have affected them. They were still tested by England on multiple occasions and on another day could have drawn this game.
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