Lessons to be learned following defeat, says Roy Hodgson

Roy Hodgson says his team can learn lessons from their 2-0 defeat to Spain in Alicante.

It was England's first loss in 16 games, a run that stretched back to the World Cup in Brazil, as two terrific strikes from Mario Gaspar and Santi Cazorla in the final 20 minutes won it for the Spanish.

Though the home side had more of the ball, the Three Lions looked organised defensively and created a number of good chances. 

And, Hodgson insisted, it was the level of opposition he was keen to take on with Euro 2016 on the horizon. 

"If you really want to keep your unbeaten record going, playing Spain away isn't one of your best decisions, especially with so many players unavailable," said Hodgson, who was without key players in midfield and attack.

"But it was a game we wanted. There are lessons that we have to learn. 

"We played a very strong Spanish team, they deservedly won the game. Our confidence won't be too badly dented. 

"We hope we don't take it to heart that we lost to a good team after a good 70 minutes. 

"We have to make certain that we learn our lessons from the game but I have no reason to be hyper-critical of the players."

Mario Gaspar celebrates his wonder-strike that made it 1-0

Hodgson did see areas of improvement for his team to work on, however, with seven months to go until the European Championship Finals.

But, after winning all the games in their qualifying group, the manager hopes his team remain positive ahead of the Euros.

"Our passing and decision making has to be better. We can't afford to give balls away in those areas," he added.

"Spain do not give the ball that often and even on the one or two occasions they do they are very good at recovering.

"I don't really want to criticise the players. We take the responsibility. We don't want excuses."

He added: "Hopefully, we won't lose confidence because there's still a lot more to come from our game. We weren't always allowed to show it this evening."