Harry Kane insists England are close to Spain's level despite penalty miss costing Three Lions in 3-2 Nations League defeat

From the Newshound archive · first published 27 September 2026 · last updated 28 September 2026.

Captain Harry Kane slipped and hit the crossbar from the spot in the 53rd minute, a miss that would have given England a 3-1 lead. Spain made them pay immediately, with Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal scoring to seal a 3-2 victory at Wembley. England had rallied after Marc Guehi's catastrophic second-minute backpass handed Lamine Yamal the opener, with Anthony Gordon and Kane putting them ahead before half-time. Thomas Tuchel's side must now travel to Prague to face the Czech Republic on Tuesday without yet having opened their Nations League account.

Kane said the spell around half-time was arguably the finest football England had produced under Tuchel.

Gordon was judged the standout England performer, setting up one goal before scoring the equaliser, while Guehi was awarded 3/10 for his costly error.

Kane argued that the Manchester City financial scandal, which broke on Friday, had little bearing on England's display despite three City players being in the starting line-up.