England lost 3-2 to Spain in the Nations League at Wembley on Friday night. The defeat, which came despite a first-half lead, extended a concerning run of defensive lapses under manager Thomas Tuchel.

Anthony Gordon and Harry Kane had turned the game around after an early Spanish goal. Gordon, on loan from Barcelona, finished smartly in the 36th minute after being found by Jude Bellingham. Kane then put England ahead four minutes later with a deflected header from a Nico O'Reilly cross. The lead did not last, as errors from Marc Guehi and O'Reilly contributed to goals for Spain's Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal, who netted the 74th-minute winner.

Defensive concerns mount

Oyarzabal's decisive strike was a painful echo of his winner in the Euro 2024 final. It also meant England have now conceded 13 goals in their last six matches across all competitions. This is a stark contrast to the seven goals they let in during Tuchel's first 17 games in charge. The team's overall form remains strong, as they sit top of their World Cup qualifying group with seven points from three games.

Goalkeeper James Trafford made a fine stop to deny Ferran Torres, who also had a goal ruled out for offside. At the other end, Kane missed a chance to equalise late on, slipping as he took a penalty and hitting the crossbar after touching the ball twice.

Tuchel's reaction

After the match, Tuchel challenged the notion that his team's approach was chaotic. "I'm not sure there was a lot of chaos," he told reporters. "We had an incredible amount of high-ball recoveries in the opponent's half. I think 15 more than Spain."

He acknowledged the defensive mistake for the third goal but was broadly positive. "The defending and the deep block were excellent, except for the third goal where we got cut open through the middle," Tuchel added. "Offensively, I think we played in a clear structure. A lot of good stuff but unfortunately not the result."

Captain Harry Kane struck a defiant note. "On another day we could have won," he said. "We're playing against the world champions, the European champions, and we went toe-to-toe."

England's next match is a quick turnaround, an away World Cup qualifier against Czechia on Tuesday. The squad will hope to build on their positive attacking moments, with Jude Bellingham in particular driving the team forward. The Real Madrid midfielder is England's top scorer this season with seven goals in eight appearances. The full squad list for the upcoming fixtures is available.

This story first appeared at BBC Sport Football