Mikel Oyarzabal's 74th-minute strike ensured Spain came from behind to beat England 3-2 in an enthralling UEFA Nations League game at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. Lamine Yamal gave the world champions a second-minute lead after an awful mistake by England center back Marc Guéhi, and Spain missed several chances to extend their advantage in a slick opening spell as the Three Lions labored. However, England sparked into life on 36 minutes as a superb counterattacking move climaxed with Anthony Gordon playing a one-two with Jude Bellingham before the Barcelona winger stroked the ball past Unai Simón to equalize. Four minutes later, they were in front. Nico O'Reilly stood up a cross from the left and Kane met it with a header that deflected off Marc Cucurella and into the net. England started the second half brightly and had a golden chance to extend their advantage when Rodri fouled Bellingham in the box on 54 minutes. Italian referee Davide Massa opted not to give the decision initially, but he changed his mind after VAR review, only for Kane to crash the resulting spot kick against the crossbar. Spain's response was typically impressive. Substitute Álex Baena curled in a fine shot to draw the visitors level again on the hour mark. Then Spain carved England open as Baena threaded a pass through for another substitute, Oyarzabal, to finish expertly past England goalkeeper James Trafford. England face Czechia in Prague on Tuesday, while Spain -- who extend their unbeaten run excluding penalty shootouts to 39 matches -- host Croatia.

The talk all week has been about England's identity. For years, they have looked to Spain possession-based style as the blueprint to follow to end a 60-year wait for silverware. However, England's collapse in their World Cup semifinal against Argentina fell into a pattern of past tournament exits -- essentially, take the lead, lose the ball, lose the game -- and triggered a debate about the best way forward. Both Tuchel and Gordon have suggested England should play more to their strengths, leaning into their physicality, running power and counterattacking prowess. Tuchel labeled it "embracing the chaos," and for a while at Wembley, they did. England's equalizer -- scored by Gordon, appropriately enough -- was a wonderful breakaway move that showcased the Three Lions at their dynamic best. But an unwelcome aspect of that chaos is England's defensive vulnerability. They simply made too many mistakes, and Spain displayed their customary class and composure to mount a superb second-half recovery. The point about all this identity chat is the sense that teams need this deep-rooted clarity to stabilize them in the moments of highest pressure. Otherwise, it all looks a little uncertain and unreliable. England could have won this, but they could also have lost by a much harsher scoreline. Is that volatility the way to win a major tournament?

England extend poor record against top-10 teams. England have a wretched record against top-ranked teams. It was part of the reason the FA brought Tuchel in -- to provide that winning nous to get England over the line in key moments. But their record is poor. After this defeat, they have just six wins out of their previous 16 matches against teams ranked inside the top 10, and a brief glance at their recent major tournament escapades paints a grim picture of how they fare when they come up against one of the giants. In recent memory, they were ticking along nicely until they ran into France in 2022, Spain knocked them over in the final of Euro 2024, and they were toppled by Argentina in the summer. They have won just one of their previous 10 World Cup knockout matches against top-10 opposition.