Spain vs. England: Winners and Losers from International Friendly
Spain put an end to England's 15-match unbeaten run with a 2-0 home victory at Estadio Jose Rico Perez in Alicante.
A pair of second-half goals handed Roy Hodgson's England their first loss since the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
Both teams struggled to make an impact in the final third until Mario Gaspar broke the deadlock in stunning fashion on 71 minutes.
The Villarreal full-back surprised everyone—perhaps even himself, too—when he acrobatically volleyed home Cesc Fabregas' lofted pass into the area.
Spain put the game beyond their opponents with six minutes to play when substitute Santi Cazorla passed the ball into the bottom left corner of goalkeeper Joe Hart's net.
England's best two chances arrived in injury time, with Wayne Rooney—who had started the friendly on the bench—clipping the woodwork, before Harry Kane forced Iker Casillas into a smart save.
Here, Bleacher Report picks out the winners and losers from Friday's international friendly.
Winner: Mario Gaspar
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Mario Gaspar may have been picked by Spain for his defensive abilities, but the Villarreal player has now scored two goals in as many international appearances.
The full-back marked his first appearance for his country by scoring the winner against Ukraine in a UEFA Euro 2016 qualifier in October.
However, his second goal for Spain was something special.
Letting Cesc Fabregas' lofted pass into the area drop over his right shoulder, Mario twisted in the air to send an acrobatic volley over the head of the diving Joe Hart and into the far corner of the goal.
It was a stunning strike. If you're old enough to remember, think back to David Platt's volley for England against Belgium in the 1990 FIFA World Cup, only Mario was in the air when he made contact.
Former England international-turned television host Gary Lineker was impressed, tweeting: "I think in a friendly it's permissible to applaud an opponent's goal. Fabulous from Mario Gaspar."
Loser: Harry Kane
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With England struggling to pose much of a threat in attack, Harry Kane was forced to live off scraps.
The Tottenham Hotspur striker had gone into the international break having scored six goals in his last four games in all competitions, per OptaJoe on Twitter.
However, a lack of service from the visiting side's midfield meant it was a thankless task for Kane, who played as a lone frontman.
He did have a couple of sights of goal in the second half, firing one attempt into the side netting before drawing a smart save out of Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas during injury time.
To be clear: Kane did not have a bad game.
But given a chance to impress against the reigning European champions, Kane endured a frustrating evening.
Winner: Cesc Fabregas
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Like many at Chelsea this season, Cesc Fabregas has failed to hit the heights of the last campaign.
He has found his commitment to manager Jose Mourinho questioned, while he is no longer a certain starter for the Premier League champions.
The midfielder, however, seemed to relish the chance to forget his troubles at club level and enjoy himself on international duty.
It was Fabregas' well-weighted pass that provided the opportunity for Mario Gaspar to volley Spain in front.
It led to WhoScored.com revealing an interest statistic on Twitter: "Cesc Fabregas: Has now registered as many assists in his last 3 apps for Spain (2) as he had in his previous 18 for Chelsea."
Loser: England's Injury List
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England manager Roy Hodgson headed for Alicante without a number of players due to injury.
Arsenal quartet Danny Welbeck, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere are all currently sidelined, along with Liverpool trio Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Daniel Sturridge.
Michael Carrick's name can now be added to the lengthy list of absentees.
The Manchester United midfielder's difficult evening finished early, as he was carried off in the closing stages of the 2-0 defeat to Spain after hurting his ankle.
Journalist Sam Wallace of the Telegraph tweeted, "Hodgson says Carrick ankle injury 'doesn't look good' and may be ligament damage. Out of the France game."
Hodgson would have wanted to assess his options ahead of next summer's major tournament in the friendly, but his resources are being stretched to the limit.
Winner: Spain's Squad Depth
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While opposite number Roy Hodgson was missing several key men, Spain manager Vicente del Bosque had an embarrassment of riches on the bench.
The home team were seemingly dealt a blow in the first half when Thiago Alcantara was forced off through injury.
However, his replacement, Santi Cazorla, impressed off the bench, including scoring Spain's second goal in the 84th minute.
Nolito—who replaced Andres Iniesta at the interval—set up his fellow substitute with a lovely touch to lay the ball into Cazorla's path.
Journalist Dermott Corrigan felt the Celta Vigo player made an impact after his half-time introduction, tweeting: "Nolito looks at home at this level."
Considering David Silva, Sergio Ramos and Isco were all missing through injury, plus David De Gea was overlooked in goal, Spain look in fantastic shape ahead of France 2016.
Winner: Ryan Bertrand
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Ryan Bertrand was one of England's few plus points on an otherwise difficult night in Alicante.
The Southampton full-back was a threat down the left, including producing two fantastic crosses in the first half that went unrewarded.
As Raheem Sterling tended to drift inside, Bertrand was able to move into the space vacated by his team-mate.
With left-back rivals Leighton Baines and Luke Shaw both ruled out, the former Chelsea player—picked ahead of Arsenal's Kieran Gibbs—looked good in defence and attack against strong opposition.
Jeremy Wilson, deputy football correspondent for the Telegraph, wrote: "Leighton Baines will be back trying to regain his place before Euro 2016, but [Ryan] Bertrand has been seizing his chance."
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