MADRID, Oct. 15-- England inflicted the first defeat of Luis Enrique's reign as Spain coach when they beat the Spanish 3-2 in the Benito Villamarin Stadium in Seville on Monday. In the match of the UEFA Nations League, England produced a magnificent counter-attacking display in the first half and then defended well in the second as the Spanish threw everything at them. Spain had a double opportunity in the fourth minute with Jonny Otto having a shot blocked for a corner, while from the corner Jordan Pickford blocked Marcos Alonso's close range effort after Ramos' flick. However, England opened the scoring in the 16th minute after a smart combination between Harry Kane and Marcos Rashford teed up Raheem Sterling to beat David de Gea with a first time shot. The Spanish looked to control the ball, but could only manage a Thiago Alcantara shot straight at Jordan Pickford before England doubled their lead. Kane controlled Pickford's long clearance and held off Sergio Ramos before threading the ball to Rashford to beat his Manchester United team-mate De Gea. It was 3-0 in the 38th minute as Sterling doubled his tally for the night after an excellent move involving Ross Barkley, who crossed the ball for Sterling to sidefoot home. The Manchester City forward hadn't scored for his country in 2 years and had netted twice in just over half an hour as England produced an outstanding first 45 minutes. |