England fell to a 3-2 defeat against Spain at Wembley after a string of uncharacteristic errors from players with Manchester City connections. Three City-linked players started for England — Elliot Anderson, Guehi, and O'Reilly — while Rodri, a former City midfielder, featured for Spain. Guehi was tackled by Lamine Yamal on the edge of his own box, leading to Spain's opener. In the second half, Rodri's late challenge on Jude Bellingham earned England a penalty, but Harry Kane struck the crossbar after slipping. O'Reilly then had a pass intercepted deep in his own half, allowing Alex Baena to equalise at 2-2.

The match came days after Manchester City were found guilty of breaking the majority of the 115 financial rules they were accused of breaching. A four-year investigation concluded that the club inflated sponsorship revenue and made off-the-books payments between 2009 and 2018. Sanctions are still pending and could include a points deduction, Premier League expulsion, or a significant fine.

Despite speculation about the timing, England captain Kane downplayed any connection between the charges and player mistakes, telling ITV Sport: "There was a discussion, but at the end of the day when we're with England we kind of put club football to one side."