England 1-2 Spain: Player Ratings

England’s homecoming after a good World Cup got off to a dream start with Rashford firing in from close range after a good pass by Shaw. But, the Spaniards hit back quickly giving England fans no time to celebrate as Saul equalized after a great burst by Carvajal from the right flank.

Then Spain took the lead with a great swinging ball from Thiago which was smartly converted by Rodrigo. Luke Shaw was unfortunately injured in the second half and England lost a bit of momentum in the game. The Three Lions enjoyed good possession for the last 20 minutes and the match would have been a draw, if not for a horrendous decision from the referee to disallow Welbeck’s goal. Here are the player ratings for the match.

England

Jordan Pickford - 6/10

In spite of conceding two goals, this was not a disappointing performance from the youngster and he will learn a lot from tough outings like this.

John Stones - 6/10

Decent performance from Stones. He was good particularly in the second half when he made a great last-minute dash near the penalty box.

Joe Gomez - 7/10

The 21-year-old was solid throughout the game and made some good interceptions.

Harry Maguire - 5/10

Average outing for him as his attacking runs left a lot of empty defensive space on England’s left flank, enabling Isco and Co. to go deep into the penalty box.

Jordan Henderson - 6/10

Did not have much of a role to play in the game except for the freekick which he won near the penalty box.

Luke Shaw - 8/10

He was equally good both while attacking and defending and his injury will be a major concern for his club and country.

Kieran Trippier - 7/10

Another good outing for him and his distribution was again world class.

Dele Alli - 5/10

An average game for him. He was rarely in possession of the ball throughout the game and could not make a great impact.

Jesse Lingard - 5/10

Normal outing for him as he rarely got any good passes to break through the defensive line.

Marcus Rashford - 7/10

It was a tale of two halves for him. He opened the goal scoring but got two good chances to equalize in the second half which he missed.

Harry Kane - 3/10

He literally disappeared from the pitch and was nowhere to be found.

Substitutes

Danny Rose - 7/10

He created a lot of chances in the last 20 minutes but they were not converted by his teammates.

Eric Dier - 6/10

Decent outing for him but did not have a big impact on the game.

Danny Welbeck - 7/10

If not for a ridiculous decision by the referee, he would have been England’s hero.

Spain

David de Gea - 8/10

He was back to his own self after a disastrous World Cup with 2 good saves.

Sergio Ramos - 7/10

Business as usual for Ramos as the defensive line marshalled by him was too good for England forwards to breakthrough.

Nacho - 5/10

Average performance by him as he lost the ball a couple of times and made a lazy run which resulted in England’s goal.

Dani Carvajal - 7.5/10

World class stuff from Carvajal as he kept bursting through the right flank and made a lot of key passes.

Marcos Alonso - 7/10

Decent outing for him. He made a few good clearances and was solid while attacking.

Sergio Busquets - 7/10

Probably the best defensive midfielder in the world was once again the anchor for his team. He was always in the right place to intercept the ball.

Thiago Alcantara - 7.5/10

Top class stuff from Thiago as he made many precise passes down narrow lanes and almost scored a screamer.

Saul Niguez - 7/10

He scored the equalizer and looked good at passing throughout the game.

Isco Alarcon - 8/10

As usual, he was everywhere and kept toying with the English players throughout the game.

Rodrigo - 8/10

His pace and movement was top class and it exposed the English defence resulting in a goal.

Iago Aspas - 6/10

Did not have much to do but was solid while passing.

Substitutes

Marco Asensio - 5/10

He came on in the 68th minute for Iago Aspas but didn't have much impact in the game. His passing was on point though.

Sergio Roberto - 5/10

Roberto came on during the final 10 minutes of the game, primarily to contain the England attackers and did so decently.

Inigo Martinez - N/A

The centre-back was introduced during the closing stages of the game and didn't have enough time to impact the game.