Anthony Gordon claims England gave victory away as Harry Kane and Thomas Tuchel react to costly mistakes in painful Spain defeat

Speaking to the media following the final whistle, Tuchel reflected on a chaotic match. The manager praised the response of his players but rued their inability to capitalise on key moments. "Terrible start, the worst start possible. The reaction was very good. I think we were the better team overall, even though we conceded some big chances. It was our best 15 minutes after the [half-time] whistle, but we couldn’t convert the penalty. Had we done that I think Spain would have felt their unbeaten run was ending," Tuchel explained.

He added: "Another big mistake for 2-2, and the third goal was the only one they really scored. It is what it is, we have to keep going and learn from it. No, it was a counter-attack. Our bravery was outstanding. But we couldn’t convert enough into chances and goals. At this level, the details matter."

Gordon echoed his manager's sentiments, insisting that individual errors ultimately decided the game. "I think it’s a bit of a missed chance. It was a great game to watch and play in; some of the attacking play was of the highest level. But when mistakes cost you, you feel like you’ve given it away rather than them winning it. We were as good as them and they were as good as us," Gordon stated.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, he added: "Good game, one I thought we were in control of. The penalty is a massive moment. If that goes in we are in a much better position than when it doesn't but obviously H [Harry Kane] slips and there is nothing you can do about a moment like that. I think all of their goals came from us really and at that level you can't afford to do that. It was a bit of a rollercoaster in the match. It must have been a great game to watch for the fans, it was a great game to play in. They're the best in the world for a reason. When it went to 3-2 you see their ability to really control possession. I think against someone like that you have really got to go for the throat which we did. The penalty was a massive momentum shift. We just lost to the best in the world. The gap is not big in my mind and I think tonight proved that. We just need to not make mistakes at the highest level."

On his substitution, he explained: "I'm always disappointed when I come off only just because I want to score more goals and be part of every part of the game. I want to get more assists and excite people who are watching me. Tonight I felt like it was maybe the right decision because I felt a bit tired. I'd done a lot of long distance running at high speed so tonight I have no complaints with the manager taking me off."

Kane also shared his thoughts on the performance with ITV Sport, remaining optimistic despite his crucial penalty miss. "I spoke before that we reached good levels at the World Cup but didn't quite put a full 90 minutes together. Probably similar again today. We had a couple of good moments though, that period was as good as we've played in a long, long time and that's the standard we know we can reach. We're playing against the world champions, the European champions, and we went toe-to-toe. On another day for sure we'd have won that game. We have to take the positives from it. We have to dust ourselves down and go again in a few days," Kane noted. When asked if news about Manchester City's charges was a distraction, the captain replied: "There was a discussion, but at the end of the day when we're with England, that's been a big plus for us, we kind of put club football to one side and it was no different this week."

England have to regroup quickly following this frustrating Nations League setback at Wembley. The squad must analyse their defensive vulnerabilities and learn from the individual mistakes that ultimately allowed Spain to secure the victory. Tuchel and his players will now turn their full attention to their upcoming fixture against the Czech Republic, aiming to bounce back immediately.