SUBSTITUTE ISCO STRUCK deep in stoppage time to earn Spain a 2-2 draw and deprive Gareth Southgate of victory in his final game as England interim manager tonight.
Goals from Adam Lallana and Jamie Vardy had set England up for an impressive win, but Spain debutant Iago Aspas reduced the arrears in the 89th minute before Isco levelled with practically the last kick.
Southgate, who lost Lallana to injury in the first half, cursed his luck on the touchline, but having gone four games unbeaten since replacing Sam Allardyce, the job is still expected to be his full-time.
While victory eluded England at the last, the vibrant nature of their performance at Wembley will help to erase lingering memories of their Euro 2016 humiliation by Iceland.
Isco’s 96th-minute strike extended Julen Lopetegui’s unbeaten record to six games since he succeeded Vicente del Bosque as Spain coach in the aftermath of their Euro 2016 exit at Italy’s hands.
Vardy won the early penalty that yielded England’s opening goal, but he was perhaps fortunate to still be on the pitch.
With less than five minutes on the clock, the Leicester City star followed through after clearing the ball downfield and caught Cesar Azpilicueta high on the Chelsea defender’s right shin.
But Romanian referee Ovidiu Alin Hategan kept his cards in his pocket and within four minutes he was pointing to Spain’s penalty spot.
After Jesse Lingard robbed Thiago Alcantara, Lallana curved a gorgeous pass into the box from the right and despite a heavy first touch, Vardy succeeded in drawing a foul from goalkeeper Pepe Reina.
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Reina went the right way for the penalty, to his left, but Lallana put enough height on the ball to register his third goal in three England outings.
The fates were to conspire against the Liverpool midfielder midway through the first half, however, as injury forced him off, with Theo Walcott coming on in his place.
Shy of a mishit Vitolo shot, Spain had failed to trouble England and Lopetegui changed tack on the half-hour, ditching his initial 3-5-1-1 system for a more conventional 4-1-4-1.
But the traffic remained one-way in the second half and after Walcott had seen a shot deflected into the side-netting, England made it 2-0 in the 48th minute.
Stand-in captain Jordan Henderson’s cross from the right was met with a brilliant diving header from Vardy, who had previously gone 14 games without scoring for club and country.
He celebrated by freezing stockstill in the manner of the ‘Mannequin Challenge’ social media fad, with Walcott and Sterling joining in.
Jamie Vardy (left) and Raheem Sterling celebrate England's second goal. AP / Press Association Images
AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images
Lopetegui awarded senior debuts to Ander Herrera and Aspas in the second half, yet still the hosts advanced, Reina saving one-handed from Walcott and Nacho clearing off the line from Lingard.
When Spain did threaten, England substitute goalkeeper Tom Heaton denied David Silva and substitute Alvaro Morata, with Aspas putting the rebound over the bar in the first instance.
West Ham United left-back Aaron Cresswell won his first England cap as a late substitute, but was upstaged by Celta Vigo forward Aspas and Real Madrid midfielder Isco, his fellow entrants.
Aspas halved the deficit, drifting in from the right and curling home, before Isco atoned for an earlier miss by chesting down Dani Carvajal’s pass and squeezing a shot between Heaton’s legs.
Elsewhere, Gianluigi Buffon earned a European record-equalling 167th cap as Italy played out a goalless friendly draw with their Euro 2016 quarter-final tormentors Germany in Milan.
The 38-year-old Buffon, who made his Italy debut in 1997, is now level with retired Spain legend and fellow goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Although Buffon is now just 17 behind world record-holder Ahmed Hassan of Egpyt (184), the appearance of AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma for a more positive second half was a reminder that retirement may not be too far off.
Results:
Russia 1 (Ozdoev 90+3) Romania 0, Malta 0 Iceland 2 (Traustason 47, Ingason 76), Hungary 0 Sweden 2 (Sam Larsson 30, Kiese Thelin 67), Ukraine 2 (Shakhov 38, Yarmolenko 87) Serbia 0, Czech Republic 1 (Barak 8) Denmark 1 (Jorgensen 38), Austria 0 Slovakia 0, Italy 0 Germany 0, Northern Ireland 0 Croatia 3 (Mandzukic 9, Cop 35, Kramaric 67), England 2 (Lallana 9-pen, Vardy 48) Spain 2 (Aspas 89, Isco 90+6), France 0 Ivory Coast 0.
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Gareth Southgate's England denied victory by two late Spain goals at Wembley
England 2 Spain 2
SUBSTITUTE ISCO STRUCK deep in stoppage time to earn Spain a 2-2 draw and deprive Gareth Southgate of victory in his final game as England interim manager tonight.
Goals from Adam Lallana and Jamie Vardy had set England up for an impressive win, but Spain debutant Iago Aspas reduced the arrears in the 89th minute before Isco levelled with practically the last kick.
Southgate, who lost Lallana to injury in the first half, cursed his luck on the touchline, but having gone four games unbeaten since replacing Sam Allardyce, the job is still expected to be his full-time.
While victory eluded England at the last, the vibrant nature of their performance at Wembley will help to erase lingering memories of their Euro 2016 humiliation by Iceland.
Isco’s 96th-minute strike extended Julen Lopetegui’s unbeaten record to six games since he succeeded Vicente del Bosque as Spain coach in the aftermath of their Euro 2016 exit at Italy’s hands.
Vardy won the early penalty that yielded England’s opening goal, but he was perhaps fortunate to still be on the pitch.
With less than five minutes on the clock, the Leicester City star followed through after clearing the ball downfield and caught Cesar Azpilicueta high on the Chelsea defender’s right shin.
But Romanian referee Ovidiu Alin Hategan kept his cards in his pocket and within four minutes he was pointing to Spain’s penalty spot.
After Jesse Lingard robbed Thiago Alcantara, Lallana curved a gorgeous pass into the box from the right and despite a heavy first touch, Vardy succeeded in drawing a foul from goalkeeper Pepe Reina.
Reina went the right way for the penalty, to his left, but Lallana put enough height on the ball to register his third goal in three England outings.
The fates were to conspire against the Liverpool midfielder midway through the first half, however, as injury forced him off, with Theo Walcott coming on in his place.
Shy of a mishit Vitolo shot, Spain had failed to trouble England and Lopetegui changed tack on the half-hour, ditching his initial 3-5-1-1 system for a more conventional 4-1-4-1.
But the traffic remained one-way in the second half and after Walcott had seen a shot deflected into the side-netting, England made it 2-0 in the 48th minute.
Stand-in captain Jordan Henderson’s cross from the right was met with a brilliant diving header from Vardy, who had previously gone 14 games without scoring for club and country.
He celebrated by freezing stockstill in the manner of the ‘Mannequin Challenge’ social media fad, with Walcott and Sterling joining in.
Lopetegui awarded senior debuts to Ander Herrera and Aspas in the second half, yet still the hosts advanced, Reina saving one-handed from Walcott and Nacho clearing off the line from Lingard.
When Spain did threaten, England substitute goalkeeper Tom Heaton denied David Silva and substitute Alvaro Morata, with Aspas putting the rebound over the bar in the first instance.
West Ham United left-back Aaron Cresswell won his first England cap as a late substitute, but was upstaged by Celta Vigo forward Aspas and Real Madrid midfielder Isco, his fellow entrants.
Aspas halved the deficit, drifting in from the right and curling home, before Isco atoned for an earlier miss by chesting down Dani Carvajal’s pass and squeezing a shot between Heaton’s legs.
- © AFP 2016
Elsewhere, Gianluigi Buffon earned a European record-equalling 167th cap as Italy played out a goalless friendly draw with their Euro 2016 quarter-final tormentors Germany in Milan.
The 38-year-old Buffon, who made his Italy debut in 1997, is now level with retired Spain legend and fellow goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Although Buffon is now just 17 behind world record-holder Ahmed Hassan of Egpyt (184), the appearance of AC Milan’s Gianluigi Donnarumma for a more positive second half was a reminder that retirement may not be too far off.
Results:
Russia 1 (Ozdoev 90+3) Romania 0, Malta 0 Iceland 2 (Traustason 47, Ingason 76), Hungary 0 Sweden 2 (Sam Larsson 30, Kiese Thelin 67), Ukraine 2 (Shakhov 38, Yarmolenko 87) Serbia 0, Czech Republic 1 (Barak 8) Denmark 1 (Jorgensen 38), Austria 0 Slovakia 0, Italy 0 Germany 0, Northern Ireland 0 Croatia 3 (Mandzukic 9, Cop 35, Kramaric 67), England 2 (Lallana 9-pen, Vardy 48) Spain 2 (Aspas 89, Isco 90+6), France 0 Ivory Coast 0.
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