Harry Kane says England matched world champions Spain despite Wembley defeat

England captain Harry Kane said his side proved they could compete with Spain after suffering a 3-2 defeat against the world and European champions at Wembley.

The result came in the UEFA Nations League – League A, with Lamine Yamal, Alex Baena and Mikel Oyarzabal scoring for Spain. Anthony Gordon replied for England, while Marc Cucurella scored an own goal.

Kane, who plays for Bayern Munich, said England had shown promising spells but again failed to maintain their best level throughout the full match.

“I said before that we reached good levels at the World Cup, but we were unable to produce a complete performance for 90 minutes, and perhaps the same thing happened today,” he told ITV Sport.

“We were playing against the world champions and European champions, and we went toe-to-toe with them. On another day, we would definitely have won this match.

“We have to take the positives from the game, move beyond the defeat and come back again in a few days.”

Spain’s victory extended their unbeaten run to 39 matches.

Yamal scored Spain’s opening goal with the third-fastest goal England have conceded at Wembley. The two quicker goals came in the first minute against Scotland in 1957 and Hungary in 1953.

Spain conceded two goals against England, more than they allowed at the 2026 World Cup, where they conceded only once.

Kane also said discussions surrounding Manchester City’s legal case had not affected England’s preparations or performance.

“There was a discussion about it, but ultimately, when we are with England, it is a very positive thing for us,” he said.

“We put club football to one side, and it was no different this week.”

Manchester City were found guilty of 114 of 115 charges relating to alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations.

The Premier League had announced that Manchester City were accused of breaking its financial fair play rules over more than one season. The league’s statement listed alleged breaches dating back to the 2009-10 season.