The Verdict: Hackett lambasts England man but praises referee for 'good performance'

The Three Lions playing La Roja at Wembley Stadium is always a popular fixture regardless of the form of either squad.

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A capacity crowd of 84,525

That it was the reigning world champions who were coming to town against an England squad who could, realistically, have at least made the World Cup final in the summer made this particular match-up extra special.

The Nations League has its detractors, mainly because it fills up empty gaps in the schedules when arguably players could do with a rest.

However, over the course of its short life as a competition, there have been some notable games, and Saturday's fixture in front of a capacity 84,525 was no exception.

"Prior to kick-off, there were tributes to former England internationals Kevin Keegan, Bobby Tambling, Mike Bailey and Jimmy Rimmer," Hackett noted.

"These were players that I have officiated, and Keegan was someone I witnessed at close quarters both as a player and manager. A passionate man but respectful of match officials."

Poor from Guehi

The majority of the crowd wouldn't have expected the early dilly-dallying from the normally dependable Marc Guehi, which allowed Spain's jewel in the crown, Lamine Yamal, to win possession and fire past a helpless James Trafford with the game barely a few minutes old.

Things might've got a whole lot worse when Ferran Torres also found the net before the 10-minute mark, though the goal was chalked off for offside. "It was a lovely cross into Torres, but the goal was correctly ruled out," Hackett agreed.

For anyone watching in the stadium or on television, it was obvious why the Spanish had been on a record-breaking unbeaten run. "England were holding on at this stage, only making passes backwards or sideways, which was hardly going to worry the opposition, nor was it entertaining," Hackett pondered.

Despite what might be considered a poor start, England somehow turned the game around in the space of four minutes, firstly as a result of Anthony Gordon's skill and then his pace.

Gordon's excellence

The Barcelona winger received the ball before back-heeling it to Jude Bellingham and racing clear of the Spanish defence.

Bellingham's pinpoint delivery into him meant that Gordon didn't need to break his stride, and he fired low and hard beyond Unai Simon.

Just a few minutes later, Harry Kane's header from a lofted Nico O'Reilly cross went in off a small deflection from Marc Cucurella.

Kane had the chance to extend the lead early in the second-half from the penalty spot.

"Penalty given, and England could've given themselves a two-goal cushion," Hackett said. "Rodri, the player making the foul challenge, stepped on Bellingham and failed to make contact with the ball.

"Bellingham waited for the contact and did go to ground easily, but after VAR intervention, the Italian referee pointed to the spot. It was the correct decision and a positive application of VAR."

Law applied correctly

Unfortunately for the hosts, the captain smashed his penalty against the crossbar, and that miss would ultimately prove costly.

"Some fans were bemused by the referee awarding a free kick to restart play, but replays would show Kane's left foot slipping on the turf as he took the penalty, resulting in him kicking the ball twice; therefore, the official applied the law correctly," Hackett enthused.

Spanish substitute Alex Baena turned the tide back in La Roja's favour with a brilliant equaliser on the hour, though O'Reilly won't want to watch the replays back.

"Another gift from a huge mistake," Hackett rued. "O'Reilly gave the ball away deep in his own half after a terrible error. Baena finished brilliantly. The defender soon received a yellow card, rightly so, for committing a reckless challenge on Lamine Yamal."

A good performance

Baena then set up Mikel Oyarzabal to score a late winner in what turned out to be a thrilling encounter.

"The referee delivered a good performance, with minimum interference, allowing the game to flow," Hackett concluded.

"Bellingham's challenge on Real Madrid teammate Marc Cucurella saw the England man go into the book late on. Another correct decision from Massa, who can be very happy with his showing."

Jason Pettigrove has been the features writer for Flashscore since 2025, utilising Opta data to form the basis of his articles. He has previously worked for high-profile football clubs, news and media outlets, both in print and digital, and can usually be found watching FC Barcelona when time permits. You can read more of his pieces here.