Ben White was booed by England fans after scoring and then gave away a penalty for Uruguay to draw 1-1, as the Wembley crowd gave a damning verdict on his return to the international stage.
White tapped in at the back post for his first international goal - but his celebration was to the soundtrack of jeers.
There were more boos - this time for the officials - when it was judged after a VAR check White had fouled Federico Vinas to allow Fede Valverde to score a 94th-minute penalty to equalise.
Disgruntlement from the stands at the entire team performance was also heard at full-time. On a night when England players were supposed to be seizing an audition for a World Cup spot, the reviews were not good. They were underwhelming individually and as a unit. But it was White in the spotlight.
He was not even upstaged by some alarming officiating, which saw Ronald Araujo escape a red card for a bad tackle on Phil Foden and Manuel Ugarte seemingly be shown two yellow cards but not sent off, before what Harry Maguire later called a "ridiculous" penalty award against White.
White's call-up to this squad as a replacement for Jarell Quansah was controversial. Thomas Tuchel admitted the defender would have to "clear the air" with team-mates he left behind when he exited the 2022 World Cup early due to personal reasons. He rejected a subsequent call-up from Gareth Southgate, following a disagreement with then assistant boss Steve Holland.
That self-imposed international exile ended when Tuchel took charge. But this was a damning message to Tuchel and White from the England fans: many haven't forgiven him and many, seemingly, do not think he should be back in the mix for a place at the 2026 World Cup.
White was booed when he came on as a second half sub. But surely, never before as an England goal scorer been immediately chastised after netting like this.
His late penalty giveaway was unlucky, with his outstretched boot arriving a fraction of a second after Vinas went for a 50-50. But Valverde punished White and England from the spot to send the fans that booed him home unhappy.
The home crowd had little to shout about before White's goal, which came via a messy set-piece. Few, if any, England players can claim to have seized their chance to convince Tuchel they deserve a spot on the plane this summer.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin's miscued header with the goal gaping was a painful moment for the sub striker trying to shine in Harry Kane's absence.
James Garner showed his all-round attributes. Harry Maguire looked like he hadn't been away for 18 months. But Phil Foden again failed to deliver in an England shirt and Noni Madueke was forced off after a heavy first-half challenge.
Ronald Araujo was fortunate not to be punished - either by referee Sven Jablonski or VAR - for his bad tackle which left Foden limping. Tuchel was incensed by that call. But in the bigger picture, he will feel he has more questions than answers about who in this squad can step up and deliver in the summer.
England boss Thomas Tuchel:
"I liked the positivity, the attitude, the performance. Everyone was always ready to adapt to the questions asked by us. It was a very tactical game.
"In the moment we were very good we didn't get the goal to get a bit more freedom in our game. The boost was missing but we kept trying."
On the referee: "It's a very soft penalty. Of course there is contact but it's so obvious what the striker is trying to do. I was surprised the VAR was in place - I thought it wasn't working. The tackle on Foden - not even checked. The tackle on Noni not checked. Then suddenly this one is checked.
"I didn't think it was a good performance at all [from the officials]. A bad day at the office."
Your Site News' Rob Dorsett:
"Ben White can't escape the headlines, and it was a night of tremendous highs and some hefty lows for the Arsenal defender. Booed loudly by the home crowd when he came on, in memory of him walking out on the England team for personal reasons during the Qatar World Cup, he scored his first England goal and conceded an injury-time penalty which cost England the win.
"His tap-in at the back post on 81 minutes was met with England cheers, until the stadium announcer read his name out, and the boos were back. Deafeningly so. That's harsh on White for sure, and must have sullied his special moment, before the VAR decision which compounded his pain late on. That was equally harsh, but is the sort of decision England must expect when they face international referees during the World Cup.
"Overall the game was pretty flat and lacking in purpose, but Harry Maguire's assured return was a big plus - he has enhanced his World Cup prospects for sure, with a magnificent block deep into injury time which averted an England defeat, and he even wore the captain's armband for the final 30 minutes - what a redemption for him.
"James Garner's debut was a plus, neat and unfussy. Phil Foden looked busy and teasing before a hefty challenge ended his night.
"But the tale of the two Dominic's up front is especially significant. Solanke looked bright and busy, but was presented with no chances to score. Calvert-Lewin missed a sitter of a header from a set piece which will haunt him for days, especially if it lingers in Tuchel's memory and costs him the chance of a World Cup place."
England host Japan in another friendly at Wembley on Tuesday; kick-off 7.45pm.
That will be the final chance for Thomas Tuchel to look at his players on the international stage before he announces his World Cup squad at the end of the season.
England then have World Cup warm-up matches with New Zealand and Costa Rica before their tournament opener against Croatia on June 17.
