Coach Steve McClaren said he could understand the England fans who booed his players at the end of Wednesday's 1-0 friendly defeat by Spain.

Substitute Andres Iniesta fired a worthy match-winner in the 63rd minute to dampen England's hopes of building on November's 1-1 friendly draw in the Netherlands, following a fairly dismal spell in Euro 2008 qualifying.

McClaren's side, who are third in Group E after a 0-0 draw at home to Macedonia and a 2-0 defeat in Croatia, were roundly booed by nearly 60,000 fans at the final whistle.

"It's disappointing to lose, obviously, and I can understand the reaction," said McClaren, whose men are due to play their next home game at the new Wembley Stadium.

"They don't like losing football matches and especially with this one being the last one at Old Trafford, where we generally have a good record but finished on a low.

"We knew it was going to be a hard game and we lost it."

However, McClaren could also rightly point to a string of injury absentees.

Defenders Ashley Cole and skipper John Terry, midfielders Owen Hargreaves, Joe Cole and Aaron Lennon and striker Wayne Rooney were all out, let alone long-term absentee Michael Owen.

"There were six or seven players who would be in the starting lineup...So we had to juggle and because of that, at times, you're bound to lack cohesion," he said. "And we did."

However, the underlying problem is up front where England, who have scored only once in their last four games, rarely troubled their opponents.

"Nobody is blind to the fact that we lacked quality in the final third -- that final pass, that final cross and the final finish," McClaren said.

"That wins you matches. At times our approach play was good and patient -- and the final ball let us down. And that's key at any level of football."

SPANISH LESSON

Spain coach Luis Aragones underlined a difference in quality in possession between the teams.

"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 footballers.

"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."

Spain's own qualifying campaign has run into trouble, with Aragones's side recording only one win and two defeats which have left them fifth in Group F.

"The result was different but I don't think the performance here was any different from the game we lost 3-2 against Northern Ireland," Aragones said referring to their surprise defeat at Windsor Park in a Euro 2008 qualifier in September.

"We were winning 2-1, we hit the post at 2-1 and were dominating play but got caught out by defensive errors."

(Xinhua News Agency February 8, 2007)