Tuchel says England deserved Spain victory despite 30 minutes with 10 men

Thomas Tuchel praised England’s performance after they beat Spain 3-2 in the sixth and final group-stage match of the Nations League – League A.

England finished top of Group C with 15 points, level with Spain, but ahead on the head-to-head goal difference.

Harry Kane, Ezri Konsa and Ben White scored for England, while Mikel Oyarzabal and Nico Williams replied for Spain. The result ended Spain’s 43-match unbeaten run.

Speaking to ITV Sport, England manager Tuchel said his side had been the better team overall and deserved to take all three points.

“An excellent performance and a deserved win,” he said. “We were the better team overall and played a great match from the beginning to the end.”

Tuchel questioned the decisions that led to England being reduced to 10 men and conceding a penalty, saying he needed to understand why his team had been punished twice in the same incident.

“The red card and the penalty are always big decisions,” he said. “I need to understand why we were punished twice for the same incident.”

England had to play the final 30 minutes with a numerical disadvantage, but Tuchel said he did not want that to overshadow the positive aspects of the match.

“Thirty minutes with fewer players was a long time, but I do not want to focus on that,” he added. “There were a lot of positive things during the first 60 minutes.”

The manager said England had concentrated on their own performance and attitude throughout the contest, and praised the players for the way they responded to the challenge.

“We deserved the win,” Tuchel said. “We focused on our performance and our mentality, and I cannot praise the team enough for what they produced on the pitch.”

He added that the victory showed the level England could reach when they pushed themselves fully.

“We showed our true ability and what we can do,” said Tuchel. “We are always ready to push ourselves to the limit. We achieved our best result in 60 years at a World Cup, and even then we were not happy with it. What we have done during the last two camps has been impressive.”