- Date:2009-02-11
- Kick-off:21:00
- Venue:Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Seville
- Attendance:42102
- Referee:Lannoy, S
Live Commentary
90mins
SPAIN 2 - 0 ENGLAND: Still the World's best, Spain are now 29 games unbeaten and they lived up to their pre-game hype. England were less impressive but not bad: just not good enough against a top class side
90mins
The first yellow card has come out, awarded ironically to record-breaker BECKHAM for arguing with the referee
88mins
Excellent chance for Carlton Cole, who was played in behind the Spanish defence by Beckham, took the ball round Reina and found the target from a tight angle but Marchena was there to block the shot on the goal line
87mins
Some quick footwork by Johnson on the right wins a free-kick which Crouch almost beat Reina to, but the keeper grabbed the ball at the second attempt
85mins
Daniel Guiza will replace Xavi for Spain, giving the Barcelona man a rest after a stellar performance
84mins
England really didn't show enough urgency when they were a single goal down and now they don't have a lot to play for
82mins
SPAIN 2 - 0 ENGLAND: Out of nothing Spain have pulled clear of England through LLORENTE. Xavi hit a hopeful free-kick into the England box and Llorente found enough space eight yards out to power a header past Green
81mins
Good work from Beckham kept possession for England and allowed Lampard to be played into space on the right but his cross was behind Carlton Cole and the West Ham striker miss-hit the shot well over the bar
79mins
Arbeloa is down for Spain after a heavy challenge from Beckham and the Liverpool full-back will need some treatment on his right ankle
77mins
England were not able to fully use Agbonlahor's pace tonight so perhaps Cole's added strength will cause more problems for Spain
75mins
Carlton Cole will replace Gabriel Agbonlahor for England, a straight swap in attack
75mins
Raul Albiol will be replaced in defence by Carlos Marchena
74mins
Crouch and Agbonlahor combine well for the first time, the Aston Villa forward receiving a knock-down and clipping a ball in which Lampard headed at goal, but Reina was well placed to make an easy save
72mins
A classic, 60 yard cross-field pass from Beckham found Wright-Phillips on the left and the Man City winger cut inside and tried to curl a shot around Reina but the effort was weak and straight at Liverpool's number one
70mins
Arbeloa and Iniesta work themselves into space on the left wing but Silva can't control the pass into him and they can't get a good shot away
68mins
Some pressure down the left wins a throw which finds its way to Beckham, who in turn fires a pass into Crouch 30 yards out but his touch lets him down and Spain clear
66mins
Llorente is a more physical prospect, which should please Terry and Upson after the slipperly Torres
64mins
Fernando Torres Llorente replaces his (almost) namesake, Torres, who has looked fit and healthy - much to the delight of Liverpool fans everywhere
63mins
Xavi continues to be utterly dominant in midfield, finding an insisive pass everytime he receives the ball
62mins
A first shot on goal for Crouch - a weak, looping header from 15 yards which Reina caught with ease
61mins
Iniesta nutmegs Terry and wins a free-kick which Spain knock around well before Xavi found Torres in the box, but the Liverpool striker was well tackled by Upson after he'd left Terry for dead
60mins
A rare poor cross from Beckham ends a promising English attack, but in general the away side are struggling for ideas going forward
58mins
Silva looks to be playing deeper than Villa, leaving Torres to lead the attack. Already England are finding it hard to pass through the five-man midfield
56mins
David Silva is replacing his strike partner at Valencia, David Villa
56mins
Spain are playing like a team with a lead, playing it around slowly, but a good break by Wright-Phillips on the left almost left them exposed
54mins
Torres almost found space behind Terry but his run began a touch offside, spotted by the assistant referee
52mins
England are certainly looking like a team that has made five changes, passes are going astray and gaps are being left. Spain will want to exploit this before England clean up
50mins
Good early work from Lampard in his own half, sweeping up in defence, but Johnson lost the ball and Xavi found Ramos on the right but Wright-Phillips' tackle stopped him at the expense of a corner
49mins
Spain look as they were in the first half but England have switched Wright-Phillips to the left and are likely to push Lampard further up the pitch than Barry was
47mins
An early free-kick is whipped in from the right by Beckham forcing Renia into his first save - a sloppy punch clear
46mins
SPAIN 1 - 0 ENGLAND: With both teams making changes it'll be interesting to see how this warms up
46mins
Jose Manuel Reina and Alvaro Arbeloa are on for Spain, with Casillas and Cazorla going off
46mins
David Beckham, Frank Lampard, Peter Crouch, Mathew Upson and Robert Green have come on at half time for Downing, Heskey, Barry, Jagielka and James
45mins
SPAIN 1 - 0 ENGLAND: After a good start England have been shown up by the World's best team, who have ended the first half in complete control
44mins
England have become more reserved as the game has gone on, a reflection of the impact Spain's skillful play has had on them
42mins
A couple of good Spanish efforts, first from Villa who had been found by a clever pull-back from Iniesta, then Alonso who hit Villa's rebound hard but wide of James' right hand post
41mins
Good work from Heskey down the right, after a clever, quick throw from Wright-Phillips, earnt space for a cross that almost found Agbonlahor at the back post
39mins
Senna tries his luck from 25 yards and had James beaten, but his swerving effort was a foot too high
37mins
Moments later Heskey was found by a back-post Downing cross but the Aston Villa man was stretching and couldn't find the target with his head
36mins
SPAIN 1 - 0 ENGLAND: Brilliant goal from VILLA, who had a ball played into his feet on the edge of the box and, with Jagielka and Terry on his hip, turned them both in an instance before slotting past James
35mins
A Heskey flick-on almost found Agbonlahor in space behind the Spanish defence but play was brought back for a foul by the English targetman
33mins
Some magic from Wright-Phillips, whose quick footwork was too much for Capdevila and Pique, earns a free-kick just outside the Spain box but Downing's shot hit the wall
31mins
Excellent football by Spain almost found a way past James. Xavi made space for himself, played the ball into Villa who flicked the ball to Torres on the edge of the box, but his shot was blocked and claimed by James at the second attempt
29mins
A one-two between Villa and Andres Iniesta almost finds a way into the English box but the return from Iniesta was slightly wayward and England clear
27mins
Heskey continues his one man mission to win the game by being fouled, winning one off Raul Albiol this time, but the set piece was embarrassing as Spain stepped up, leaving seven Englishmen offside
26mins
Spain find the back of the net but Villa, played through by Xavi, was well offside and it won't count
25mins
England get forward for the first time in 10 minutes through Stewart Downing, but his pass to Heskey is poor and earns only a throw
23mins
Great skill from Xavi, who skipped through two tackles just outside the England box, but to no avail as Villa took the ball from him and promptly gave it away
22mins
The full-back Joan Capdevila struck it but only found the wall and England were able to clear
21mins
A foul by Ashley Cole, 30 yards out in a central position, will give one of the Spaniards a shooting chance
20mins
Spain are on the offensive now, targeting the left flank where Villa cut inside, shaped to shoot but instead laid a pass off to Senna whose 25-yard effort was easy for James
18mins
Another good chance for Villa, who made an excellent diagonal run into the box, but his shot was under pressure and from a tight angle and David James made a comfortable save
17mins
Spain do better this time, firing a ball into the box that hit a deflection and found Villa, whose shot was blocked and Torres hit the rebound which was also deflected, this time over the bar
16mins
Spain have kept up their steady, passing game despite the England pressure, but they don't look dangerous yet
14mins
Gerard Pique just survived what would have been a certain red card when he pulled back Heskey, who had charged into the Spain box, but the striker was ruled offside
12mins
Another foul by Marcos Senna, his second in the opening few minutes, gave England another chance to create havoc in the Spanish penalty box but the set-piece was poor and nothing came of it
10mins
Good work between Agbonlahor and Shaun Wright-Phillips almost allowed the winger to play in Barry but his pass was behind the Villa midfielder and his rushed cross was comfortably headed behind
8mins
England appear to have been enthused by that chance as a long free-kick from Terry found Emile Heskey in the box but the marking was tight and the Aston Villa forward couldn't hold onto the ball
6mins
The first real chance falls to England and Gabriel Agbonlahor, who was found by a low Gareth Barry cross from the left, but the young forward's first-time shot missed the left side post by just a few inches
4mins
A good looking move appeared to have fallen away after Villa gave the ball to Glen Johnson, but the right-back returned the favor and only a loose Torres ball stopped Spain getting a good shooting chance
3mins
Torres almost flicked his way through the English back line but John Terry held firm and legally blocked his passage
2mins
England press Spain deep early on but the home side take control at the back, playing it around well
1mins
The match between the World's first and eighth ranked teams is underway
0mins
Plenty of talking points regardless of the players: the decision of Vicente del Bosque to play his stars despite warnings from their managers, Spain's 23-match unbeaten run and the racist chanting that marred England's last visit to Spain
0mins
The European Champions have the stronger starting eleven on paper, with a first-choice midfield and attack including Xabi Alonso, Xavi, Fernando Torres and David Villa. Gerard Pique makes his debut in defence
0mins
Shaun Wright-Phillips will fill Becks' right sided role, while the other surprises are Phil Jagielka starting at centre-back and an all-Aston Villa forward line of Emile Heskey and Gabriel Agbonlahor
0mins
The teams news from Seville starts, of course, with David Beckham, who will have to come in off the bench to earn his 108th cap - tying him with Bobby Moore for most England appearances as an outfield player
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Match Report
Spain lived up to their billing as the best side in world football, waltzing past England as they extended their unbeaten run to 29 games.
England had looked the better side in the opening 15 minutes, with Emile Heskey in particular imposing himself on a Spanish defence that was without its preferred central pairing.
With outfield leader Carles Puyol injured and fellow centre-back Carlos Marchena rested, Gerard Pique was given his first cap and Raul Albiol was picked alongside him.
The inexperienced pair were successfully targeted by England early on, with Gabriel Agbonlahor the recipient of the best chance - a first-time shot from a Gareth Barry cross that whistled just wide with Iker Casillas beaten.
Yet Heskey arguably went closer to scoring after 14 minutes when he ran in behind Pique who hauled him back on the edge of the box.
A red card and a free-kick or penalty would have been the expected outcome but the referee's assistant came to Pique's rescue, wrongly flagging for offside.
Unfortunately for England that warning was what Spain needed to open up. Two minutes later Fernando Torres and David Villa both had good chances blocked before Villa shot straight at David James from inside the box.
Their dominance continued, with Villa netting after 26 minutes only to see it ruled out for offside, before finally they were rewarded with a goal.
In the 36th minute Villa had a ball played into his feet on the edge of the box and, with Phil Jagielka and John Terry on his hip, turned them both in an instant before slotting his shot past James.
A back-post Heskey header less than a minute later gave hope that England would respond well to going behind but it was the last good chance the away side would get until the 88th minute.
David Beckham's appearance for the second half, allowing him to move level with Bobby Moore as the most capped England outfield player, sparked some interest but it was Spain's match.
The reigning European Champions cruised through the second half without either threatening or being threatened, although they were able to snatch a second goal to put the game away.
Xavi, at the heart of everything for Spain, hit a hopeful free-kick into the England box and Fernando Llorente found enough space behind Matthew Upson to power a header past Robert Green.
Only a late chance for Carlton Cole offered hope, when he was played in behind the Spanish defence by Beckham, took the ball round Pepe Reina and found the target from a tight angle but Marchena was there to block the shot on the goal-line.
Manager Fabio Capello can take relief from the fact that his team were beaten by the best, but he will have hoped for more from an England side that have looked more clinical since the Italian took over last winter.
Spain Team
England Team
Spain | England |
Corners
| 4 | 1 |
Fouls
| 16 | 19 |
Goal attempts
| 14 | 8 |
Shots off target
| 10 | 4 |
Offsides
| 3 | 2 |



90mins
Llorente appears to have wandered off the pitch, injured, but no sub has been made so Spain are down to ten men