Spain underlined their status as the world’s leading international side by beating England 3-2 in a thrilling Nations League Group A3 contest at Wembley.

England looked capable of producing a statement victory after recovering from an early setback to take a 2-1 lead, but defensive errors and a pivotal missed penalty allowed the European and world champions to regain control.

Spain strike first, but England respond

Marc Guehi’s early mistake gifted Lamine Yamal possession, and the Spain forward raced through to give the visitors the lead after two minutes. James Trafford then kept England in the contest with an important save from Ferran Torres, who had earlier seen a goal ruled out for offside.

England eventually found their attacking rhythm. Anthony Gordon combined with Jude Bellingham on a rapid counter-attack before calmly finishing to level the match. Four minutes later, Harry Kane headed in Nico O’Reilly’s cross to complete a remarkable turnaround.

“It was a brilliant 10-minute spell that saw England grab the lead,” Sky Sports News analyst Rob Dorsett said, highlighting Gordon’s equaliser and Kane’s header.

Kane’s penalty miss changes the game

England were awarded a penalty early in the second half after Rodri was judged to have fouled Jude Bellingham following a VAR review. Kane slipped as he took the spot-kick, sending the ball against the crossbar instead of giving England a two-goal advantage.

Spain capitalised six minutes later. Nico O’Reilly’s error presented the visitors with an opening, and substitute Alex Baena curled a composed finish into the net from the edge of the area to make it 2-2.

Spain continued to expose gaps in England’s defence, and Baena then released Mikel Oyarzabal with a through ball. Oyarzabal finished clinically in the 74th minute to complete the comeback.

England’s attacking promise overshadowed by defensive flaws

Gordon and Bellingham were among England’s most dangerous players, while Kane led the line effectively despite the penalty miss. BBC Sport rated both Bellingham and Gordon 8 out of 10, with Kane receiving a 7.

However, Guehi’s error for the opener and O’Reilly’s mistake for Spain’s equaliser proved costly. England were also fortunate not to fall further behind before half-time, as Torres missed a one-on-one chance and fired another effort wide.

The defeat extended Spain’s unbeaten run to 39 matches and left England needing to improve quickly in Group A3. Thomas Tuchel’s side must now navigate fixtures against the Czech Republic and Croatia before travelling to Madrid for the return meeting with Spain in November.

“Though it’s hard to argue that Spain weren’t the far superior side over 90 minutes,” Dorsett said. “A defeat with some merit then, for Tuchel’s England. But there still seemed to be a gulf in class.”