Gordon: England are on par with Spain despite Nations League loss

Anthony Gordon expressed disappointment with England's errors after their 3-2 UEFA Nations League defeat to Spain, yet maintained that no significant difference exists between the two squads.

Spain took an early lead within two minutes of England's first match since the World Cup. Lamine Yamal capitalized on a defensive mistake to score. England, however, responded. Gordon equalized following a swift counter-attack, and Harry Kane’s deflected header put England ahead.

The match shifted nine minutes into the second half when Kane failed to convert a penalty. Spain seized this opportunity. Alex Baena leveled the score after an error from left-back Nico O’Reilly. Fellow substitute Mikel Oyarzabal then secured the win for the world champions.

Gordon, despite the outcome, remained optimistic about England’s performance and their standing against Spain.

“It was a missed opportunity,” Gordon told ITV. “It was a great game to watch and play in, with some of the attacking play at the highest level. But mistakes cost you in games like that. You feel you’re giving it away rather than them winning it. Both teams were as good as each other. I’m just gutted about the mistakes.”

When asked if England would have won with Kane’s penalty, Gordon replied, “I think so. It would have put us in a great position to score more. We wanted more and went for the kill. Penalties happen. He rarely misses, so we’ll let him off this time.”

“As I said, I don’t think there is a gap [to Spain],” Gordon added. “I feel like we’re right there. We could have easily won that game. If the penalty goes in, we could go on to win it. In hindsight, it’s easy to say that. But I felt good in the game. I don’t think there is a gap, and I’d have felt confident playing them again in a final. Confidence doesn’t always guarantee a win, but you saw tonight that we are a top team.”