Roy's Rio Ravers: England's No 10 Rooney scores a dazzling goal at the home of Pele (and Oxlade-Chamberlain hits a screamer too) but Three Lions are held in mayhem at the Maracana
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Ox has the X-factor
Another draw. This one, however, felt slightly different.
Not because England were unlucky. On the contrary, they were entirely outplayed for at least an hour, maybe more. Not because the spoils were deservedly shared, either – Brazil will not know how they did not win, and nor will many neutrals.
Not even because manager Roy Hodgson found a game-plan that will inspire great confidence when the important round of World Cup qualifying games begin at the start of next season. This was all very familiar, particularly the awkward parts.
Brilliant: Wayne Rooney put England in front with a brilliant curling goal
Match facts
England: Hart, Johnson (Oxlade-Chamberlain 61), Cahill, Jagielka, Baines (Cole 31) Walcott (Rodwell 84), Jones, Carrick, Lampard (captain) Milner, Rooney.
Subs not used: Foster, McCarthy, Lescott, Defoe.
Goals: Oxlade-Chamberlain (67), Rooney (79)
Booked: Jones
Brazil: Julio Cesar, Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, Luiz, Filipe (Marcelo 45), Luiz Gustavo (Hernanes 45), Paulinho (Bernard 83), Oscar (Lucas Moura 56) Hulk (Fernando 72), Fred (Leandro Damiao), Neymar.
Subs not used: Jefferson, Cavalieri, Dante, Rever, Jeanm Bernard, Jadson.
Goals: Fred (57) Paulinho (82)
Booked: Hulk
Ref: Wilmar Roldan Perez (Colombia)
Att: 66,015
Yet in mining a draw so completely against the run of play in the Maracana Stadium, England’s players showed a little of the resilience that will be vital if they are to return to these parts when the main event takes place next summer.
England might not be a match for Brazil in technique or imagination, but they showed penalty of bottle. And if they are not going to play their way to the World Cup finals, they might just scrap a path through like that.
This could have been humiliating. Brazil’s scoring chances in the first-half reached double figures and if even 50 per cent of them had gone in, the scoreline would not have flattered the hosts.
When Fred gave Brazil the lead after 57 minutes, the initial fear was of a floodgate about to open. Instead, England entered the final ten minutes of the match leading 2-1, fine goals from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Wayne Rooney combining to stun the locals and all believers in reason worldwide.
If ever there was a lesson in the consequences of not taking chances, it came here. Hodgson had appeared on the eve of the game primed with statistics to support his management philosophy, but this was not a match that bore great factual analysis. Believers in fairies, the Loch Ness monster and the Beast of Bodmin may have been able to compute it. The rest of the planet gave a bemused shrug.
Brilliant: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain levelled for England with a brilliant goal
Like father, like son: Oxlade-Chamberlain's father, Mark (top row, second left) played in the famous win in 1984
Well deserved: England players clap the visiting fans
England’s hero was Joe Hart, who is very much owed his summer holiday, having done two months’ work in one night.
Hart was quite brilliant before half-time and was beaten only by outstanding finishes. England had a five-man midfield and saw it overrun and their defending was, by necessity, frantic at times.
Yet a 2-2 draw in the Maracana Stadium is never to be sniffed at and the problem for Hodgson is quite how he harness this, given that England were second best. It was chalk and cheese with the victory over Brazil in February, when the best and most inventive player on the field was a young Englishman, Jack Wilshere. Here, shorn of Wilshere, captain Steven Gerrard and more goalscorers than sit in football’s Hall of Fame, England somehow stayed in touch, rode a fair share of luck and ultimately left close to triumphant.
This was a spirited display, if nothing else. Maybe Fabio Capello was right about the benefits of playing away from home.
Hodgson, a sensible man, will know England got away with it. He will also believe that in the dogged refusal to accept the reality of their predicament, his players showed a mental strength that could be the cornerstone of a successful campaign. England did not know they were beaten in the Maracana Stadium - but they should have been, and by plenty.
Once the momentary disappointment of losing a lead with eight minutes to go subsides, Hodgson will take this result. Brazil will hope to build on the positives of their dominance, England on their resilience.
This is most certainly better outcome than the thrashing predicted by some critics, not least Gary Lineker.
So, first the good news. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s was a sweetly taken goal, even it appeared at the time to be taking place in a parallel universe. Frank Lampard played the ball into Wayne Rooney and he set Oxlade-Chamberlain up for a shot from the edge of the area, which flew past goalkeeper Julio Cesar who, until that point, had been most in danger of seizing up.
It was sublime moment for the young man, whose father Mark had also played for England here 29 years ago. Better was to come.
With 11 minutes remaining, Rooney collected the ball deep and began an angled run inside. His shot caught a deflection off Fernando, but it was still a peach and flew into the top corner.
England’s bench reacted as if there was more at stake than mere pride.
Brilliant: Oxlade-Chamberlain celebrates his excellent strike
Alert: Fred scores for Brazil to put in the rebound from Hernanes' stunning long range effort that hit the bar
Honours even: Paulinho scores to make it 2-2
They are under increasing pressure as the qualification campaign falters and a defeat here would have made for a less-than-comfortable summer – and a highly-charged date with Scotland in August.
Sadly, it did not, could not, last. In the 82nd minute, Paris St Germain’s Lucas Moura crossed from the right and Paulinho met the ball with an outstanding volley from 12 yards, leaving Hart powerless, for once. Brazil’s opener on 57 minutes had been all about technique, too.
Hernanes struck a floating shot that eluded Hart but not the far post, and Fred completed the perfect opportunist finish, left shoulder falling away, right foot over the bar, Hart scrambling to recover in vain.
It would have been nice if the defence had chosen to be more than interested bystanders but you can’t have everything.
It was one of those glass half full, glass half empty nights. The optimists will see only the result, the two goals against Brazil and the determination that was shown by a patched-up team in not going under; the pessimists will remember only that terrifying first half and what might have happened had Hart not been at the top of his game.
Valiant effort: Joe Hart makes a save from Hulk
Smothered: Joe Hart makes an excellent save from Neymar after a defensive error by Glen Johnson
Thwarted: Frank Lampard's shot was easily saved
Diving at his feet: Hart is quickly at Neymar's feet
Tipping it over: Hart tips a Fred header over the bar
And another: Hart was excellent throughout, making a string of fine saves
Brazil got in behind, they put the ball across the face of goal, they gave England’s defence the vapours. Neymar looked lacklustre at Wembley in February. Here he was a different class and the onslaught began with his volley blocked by Leighton Baines in the eighth minute. From that point, England were hanging on.
Daniel Alves had a long shot travel just wide, before a Paulinho pass almost put Neymar in at the far post, after Glen Johnson had missed his kick for the clearance, but Hart rose above the chaos to save.
Brazil were rampant now. Thiago Silva turned inside Walcott, but Hart was equal to his low shot, then Neymar strode through the centre of England’s midfield but curled his shot just wide.
In the 28th minute, Johnson redeemed his earlier mistake with the nerveless clearance of an Oscar cross under pressure and facing his goal before a quite stunning double save from Hart kept England level, denying Hulk and then Filipe Luis from the loose ball.
An Oscar shot forced another great save and Brazil’s superiority was such that Neymar attempted to pass the ball into the net from range soon after.
Phew. England are a long way from a performance like that, we know. Brazil, however, are a long way from possessing the spirit that forged an unlikely saving of face here. The poser for Hodgson is how to put a night like this to work.
VIDEO: WATCH GRAHAM CHADWICK'S SLIDESHOW FROM RIO
Instructions: Roy Hodgson makes himself heard
On the move: Theo Walcott is stopped by Thiago Silva and Dani Alves
Finding space: Neymar moves away from Glen Johnson
Early strike: Neymar shoots at goal
Not impressed: Luiz Felipe Scolari remonstrates with one of his players
Saved: Theo Walcott shoots straight at Julio Cesar
Toe pole: Theo Walcott nicks the ball away from Filipe Luis
Rising high: Thiago Silva leaps above James Milner
Challenge: Phil Jones tried to win the ball from Bayern Munich's Luis Gustavo
All smiles: Brazil fans and England fans before before the game
Filling up: The Maracana stadium
Ice cool: Roy Hodgson pre-match with FA director of football development Sir Trevor Brooking and director of communications Adrian Bevington (centre)
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That was a 'close shave' for Brazil!
- Away end , London, United Kingdom, 03/6/2013 02:30
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