Jarell Quansah commented on leaving points on the table with England against Spain.
The Nations League opener at Wembley Stadium pitted the best team in the world against the European Championship finalists and World Cup semi-finalists, delivering a five-goal affair.
‘We went toe-to-toe with them’
Mistakes from Marc Guehi and Nico O’Reilly handed the Spaniards the keys for their first two goals, while Harry Kane crashed the bar with a penalty that would have put the hosts 3-1 up.
It is another missed opportunity against a top team, but Quansah tried to take the positives.
“For the neutral it was a good game. We fought in adversity coming from 1-0 down. We managed to really step on the throat and give it a good go after half-time. On another day we go 3-1 up and we kill the game but unfortunately, we couldn't.
“They are the world champions, the best team in the world. We went toe-to-toe with them. Hopefully we can draw on the positives and next time we play them we can turn it into a positive result.”
‘It’s something different for me’
Quansah also had the unenviable challenge of trying to lock down Nico Williams, one half of one of the most exciting wing pairings in international football, from the role of a right back on the evening.
In the same position, he picked up a red card against México in the Round of 16 of the World Cup under three months ago. However, he embraced the task as his way to help the team in the moment.
“We are put in those positions, and you are always competing against the best in the world, in my opinion, so it's always tough and you're always fighting so you've always got to be ready for any occasions. It's something different for me, I've never played there even when I was younger. I'm learning on the job, and it is definitely different, but I feel like I can offer a lot in different ways.”
