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Insipid England given Spanish lesson

The match against the European Champions in Seville was a chance for England coach Fabio Capello to assess how far his side has advanced and the midfield did a good job of closing down Xavi and Andres Iniesta in the opening half hour.

However, a careless pass by defender Phil Jagielka let Spain in to score the opener on 36 minutes.

"This is a team that knows how to play the ball around and at the right moment, when you make a mistake, they kill you," the former Real Madrid coach said at a news conference.

"They still have the same players and are playing in the same style as when they won the European Championships and they are obviously feeling in great shape on the pitch."

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said he was happy with the team's long unbeaten run but his priority was the World Cup qualifier against Turkey on March 28 in Madrid.

Spain and England both top their qualifying groups for the tournament in South Africa with four wins out of four and England's next match is against Ukraine at Wembley on April 1.

"For the first few minutes we were a little bit lost but we gradually became better and better," Del Bosque said of his side's showing on Wednesday.

"It's not only the quality of the way we play that's the key but it's also the spirit in the squad."