England struggled again, walking off the Old Trafford field Wednesday night to a chorus of boos from Manchester fans after a 1-0 loss to Spain.
Barcelona's Andres Iniesta scored the winner in the 63rd minute to extend England's winless streak to four games. England, which was missing several key players, including Wayne Rooney, rarely threatened the Spaniards.
''Nobody is blind to the fact that we lacked quality in the final third — that final pass, that final cross and the final finish,'' said England coach Steve McClaren, who is under increasing fire for England's unimaginative play since taking charge after the 2006 World Cup.
Spain coach Luis Aragones said the difference in the teams was more fundamental.
''It's always hard when you play England — they're a good strong team internationally,'' he said. ''But we are good on the ball, we played the ball around well and maybe we were thinking quicker as soccer players. We knew where we wanted to play the ball as soon as we received it and maybe that was one difference between the two sides.''
Elsewhere …
The Netherlands put on perhaps the most impressive show, beating Russia, 4-1, in Amsterdam with all four goals coming in the second half. Ryan Babel, Wesley Sneijder, Joris Mathijsen and Rafael van der Vaart scored for the Oranje.
Germany also looked sharp, beating Switzerland, the co-host of Euro 2008, 3-1, in Duesseldorf on goals from the recalled Kevin Kuranyi, newcomer Mario Gomez and Torsten Frings.
Javier Saviola was the difference in Argentina's 1-0 win over France at the Stade de France, scoring on a rebound of Hernan Crespo's shot after helping set up Crespo with nifty move down the right flank.