3 keys that dismantled Tuchel's plan: Spain lure England into the heart of Wembley

Spain came flying out at Wembley, picking apart the spaces between England's lines with high pressing and lightning transitions. Lamine Yamal struck early, punishing sloppy pressure and laying bare Spain's knack for forcing errors whenever England tried to play out from the back. 

England had the ball but little to show for it. They found decent areas in Spain's half, yet the lines were too stretched and the players left gaps yawning open, particularly between the defenders. It's a problem that has dogged them since the World Cup, and Tuchel still hasn't found the fix.

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Spain's wasted chances defined the first half. With a bigger lead there for the taking, Ferran Torres passed up more than one dangerous opening in front of goal. 

Even so, the Spanish stayed sharp in their pressing and transitions, using the pace of Torres, Yamal and Nico Williams to attack the spaces behind the English defence. 

Thomas Tuchel then cranked up the pressing. That squeezed Spain's ability to build attacks and reach the England box with any ease. Every time England won the ball back, their sharpest weapon came to the fore: the rapid switch to attack.

They punished the gaps Spain left between midfield and defence, and Anthony Gordon's run stood out as one of the moments of the half.

Credit Jude Bellingham for the decision to feed Gordon rather than Bukayo Saka. He read the space better, and the move ended in the goal that dragged England back into the match. 

The equaliser only fired them up. England kept working the spaces behind the Spanish midfield, and the second goal followed when Nico O'Reilly seized on Rodri's slow covering to whip in a cross. Harry Kane finished it to put the hosts in front.

Spain turned the game around once again after the break, their high press and the quality off the bench proving decisive as England struggled badly to play the ball out. Harry Kane missed a penalty in the 54th minute for the early turning point. Luis de la Fuente then sent on Oyarzabal and Alex Baena for Ferran Torres and Nico Williams, the pair having coughed up possession repeatedly in the first half.

Baena made an immediate impact. He carved out a clear-cut chance for Lamine Yamal, then buried his first shot to level it at 2-2 in the 60th minute.

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That goal was no individual moment. It flowed directly from the way Spain handled England's pressure. They drew in the first wave of the press, exploited the space behind the advanced winger and forced England's midfield to shift laterally, then accelerated the play the moment the defence lost its cohesion.

Three clear keys turned the tables on England and their coach Tuchel, a man who does not learn from his mistakes: the high press that hemmed in England's build-up, the quality of the substitutes that handed the team a decisive attacking boost, and the exploitation of spaces. La Roja proved they can deal with the toughest scenarios and come back from behind. It is a strong start to the post-World Cup title era.

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