Spain vs England: Southgate’s young side dig in and hold out in clinical visit to Seville

It is unlikely that stranger things have happened in Seville.

As England stunned Spain, Raheem Sterling scored his first international goals in 1,102 days, the first time an Englishman had scored away against Spain since Gary Lineker in 1987, and Spain conceded three goals at home in a competitive match for the first time ever, their first defeat on their own soil since 2003.

This was the England performance that never quite was at the World Cup, despite their run to the semi-finals, where there were either victories against lesser sides, or defeats to the big players.

It had all started to become a bit tepid after Russia, which had itself ended in two defeats, to Croatia in the last four and Belgium in the third-place playoff. The disappointing defeat to Spain at Wembley, putting England in their place; the underwhelming 1-0 win against Switzerland; the goalless draw with Croatia last Friday.

On Monday night, everyone wondered how England would cope with Thiago Alcantara, Sergio Busquets and Saul Niguez — as they had been unable to in England — yet it was Spain who could not handle Eric Dier, Ross Barkley and Harry Winks, nor the telepathic link-up of Harry Kane, Sterling and Marcus Rashford.

The burst of passes up the pitch at the end of England’s 16th-minute opener were brilliant. Jordan Pickford up to Kane on half-way, straight to Rashford, who released Sterling and what a hit it was, into the top left corner, to score for his first England goal in three years, with what was remarkably only his fifth shot on target in 28 England games.

But it was not only the final, incisive, devastating passage of play; even before that this young England side — the youngest this century with only Kieran Trippier over the age of 25 — passed the ball up and down and across Spain culminating in a total of 17 passes leading up to the goal. They Spained Spain.

“We are staying up,” chanted the England supporters, joking about the confusing Nations League and showing a lighter side to those who clashed with riot police and smashed up the beautiful host city in the nights leading up to the match.

Then, somehow, it got even better. When a Spain attack fizzled out on the half-hour, Pickford played the ball up long and quickly, kicking from his hands, Kane brought it down — part skilfully, part fortunately — and then his pass through was sensational, slipping Rashford in on goal and, unlike against Croatia when the Manchester United twice spurned similar chances, he beat club team-mate David De Gea.

“Are you Scotland in disguise?” the England fans sang, again showing the different faces of the England away support. Ideally this piss-taking, self-deprecating side, the one which shone at the World Cup, would be the only side they reveal abroad.

And then, somehow, it got even better. Eight minutes later: England put Spain under sustained pressure, a move broke down, Dier won the ball back, played to Ross Barkley, who clipped a ball over Spain’s defence, Kane cut the ball back and — that man again — Sterling was there for the tap-in.

While all the first-half goals were overwhelming, it was perhaps a tasty tackle which catalysed it all, initially. Eleven minutes in, after Spain had been all over England, forcing Pickford into several saves, Sergio Ramos slightly overran the ball inside his own penalty area, so Dier came steaming in and, channeling every single Liverpool fan seeking revenge for what they believe was his intentional injuring of Mohamed Salah in the Champions League final, went through the Spain centre-back. It seemed a fair tackle, by Premier League standards, but the referee booked him. Five minutes later England scored their first.

If all that was a lot to take in, still stranger things kept happening in the second half. After two vital contributions to two of England’s goals — pre-assists, if you like — Pickford started to panic. He spilled the ball for the corner which substitute Paco Alcacer headed in for Spain’s 58th-minute goal. Then not 10 minutes later, he tried to take on Rodrigo with a Cruyff turn, lost the ball to the Spain striker and had to make a desperate sliding tackle to prevent an embarrassing second. The Spain players were adamant Pickford had pulled Rodrigo back and it was a penalty, and a few scuffles broke out as the England players took exception to their opponents surrounding the referee.

But even though Ramos headed a second in stoppage time, England held out for the win — perhaps the strangest thing of all.