Kane says England can match Spain despite Nations League defeat

England captain Harry Kane said the team is close to Spain’s level despite losing 3-2 to the world champions in their Nations League meeting at Wembley on Saturday. Spain took an early lead through Lamine Yamal, but England responded before half-time with goals from Anthony Gordon and Kane. The hosts had an opportunity to extend their advantage when Kane was awarded a penalty, but he slipped during the kick and struck the crossbar.

Spain then recovered after the interval. Alex Baena equalised before Mikel Oyarzabal scored the winning goal, completing a comeback that gave Spain victory. Kane, who plays for Bayern Munich, said the performance showed England could compete with the holders of the World Cup and European Championship.

“I think we’re close, without a doubt,” he said, according to AFP. The England captain acknowledged that Spain had the trophies to support their status and said England would need to demonstrate their own progress on the pitch rather than rely on statements. “We showed a lot of good things on the pitch, but in the big moments, we didn’t quite have it,” Kane said.

He described England as being among the world’s top four and referred to their third-place finish at the World Cup. England were beaten by Spain in the Euro 2024 final. Kane said Saturday’s performance would nevertheless have shown Spain that England could challenge them, even though the result again went against his side.