England vs Brazil: Five talking points
The three lions secured their first success over the Selecao in nearly twenty three years with a 2–1 win in the friendly yesterday night. On a night when Ashley Cole played his 100th game for the national side, and Ronaldinho made a return after a year-long absence, there were plenty of talking points, all of which were thankfully football-related. Here are five of the best.
The build-up play from Brazil seemed only to be growing in threat with every passing minute, and when the ball hit Wilshere’s arm from a Ronaldinho cross in the 16th minute, the referee was perfectly right in awarding a penalty to the men in yellow and green. What followed, however, was an instance of excellent goalkeeping, in the face of some serious threat. Not only did Joe Hart guess the right way, and dive well to save the penalty, he also had the awareness to deny the advancing Ronaldinho a simple tap-in by palming the ball away just moments before the 32 year old got to it. Pressure from Cleverley saw Neymar prod the still loose ball wide of goal, and that was the end of that attack.
England’s Manchester United striker seems to have hit a rich vein of form in recent weeks, having scored in both domestic cup and league competition for the league leaders, and has now added an international goal to that list. Much credit for this goal has to go to Jack Wilshere though, whose inch perfect through-ball allowed Theo Walcott to get his effort away at goal, only to be denied by Julio Cesar. The ball then fell kindly for Rooney, who came up with a cool finish when he passed it into an empty net through a crowd of Brazilian defenders, before tearing away towards the fans to bask in their admiration.
The first of the two goals that resulted from defensive errors, this opportunity allowed Fred to grab a well taken goal against a formidable English opposition. A poor touch from Gary Cahill, who was attempting to run the ball out of defence was blocked by Lucas Moura, and fell kindly for the substitute striker who gathered it in and unleashed a nearly unstoppable effort with his left foot. If it had been anything short of perfectly placed, the diving Hart would have gotten a palm on it, but as things turned out, it was perfectly placed, and allowed the men in yellow to regale the crowd with a bit of their famed dancing skills.
The other goal which resulted from an error; this came at a time when the English grip on the game was increasing, and helped them put the game to bed early. Theo Walcott was the originator of sorts for this move as it was his cross that was deflected into the path of Arouca, who made the wrong decision of playing it back into his own box for a clearance. Under no real pressure, it was a pass that was best avoidable for the Brazilian, but as it turned out, it found its way to Wayne Rooney who laid it off for Frank Lampard. The veteran midfielder was at his clinical best with the finish as it struck Cesar’s left post before rolling over the line all the way over at his right.
What was heartening to see, as in recent times, was the infusion of young players into the side, as demonstrated by the presence of Chris Smalling in the heart of defence. Along with the likes of Cleverley, Wilshere, Walcott, Welbeck, and plenty others, Smalling represents the next generation of international footballing legends, many of whom are certain to become household names. Brazil, for their part, brought a stellar set of young talent as well, featuring the likes of Oscar, Lucas Moura, and Neymar, among others.