Bleacher Report - England (National Football)

World Cup Draw 2010: England Set for Seeding Boost

Matt S — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:16:28 -0500

With Uruguay becoming the 32nd and final team to qualify for the 2010 World Cup last night, thoughts are immediately starting to turn towards the Finals themselves, with the draw set to take place in just over two weeks time on 4 December in Cape Town.

Questions about the possible draw immediately spring to which teams will be seeded and who can and cannot be drawn in the same group, as well as whether there will, inevitably, be a Group of Death .

FIFA have yet to announce the method by which they will decide the seedings and subsequent lay-out for the draw, but we are able to speculate based on the processes used for the past few tournaments.

Since 1998 FIFA have employed constraints for the draw which ensure that no more than two European teams are placed in the same group, and equally that no group contains more than one team from any other confederation.

The seedings have been calculated using a formula based on performances at previous World Cups as well as taking into account the FIFA World Rankings.

The seedings for the 2006 World Cup were decided based on each nation’s performance at the past two World Cups, as well as their FIFA World Rankings over the previous three years.

The following information is all based on this very seeding formula which FIFA used for the 2006 World Cup.

FIFA will incorporate the FIFA World Rankings for November, which are released tomorrow, in their calculations but the October rankings have been used here—there will be minor changes in the new rankings tomorrow but nothing significant enough to affect the below as long as the 2006 method is still used.

South Africa are automatically seeded and placed in Group A, to ensure that they play the opening game, as hosts of the tournament.

The other seeds are the seven highest placed teams based on the criteria outlaid above.

These seven teams are Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain, England, France, and Argentina. All seven were also top seeds at the 2006 World Cup where they were joined by Mexico, whereas South Africa join them this time.

Portugal and the Netherlands just miss out, the former in particular coming close to edging out Raymond Domenech’s France.

The second pot consists of the remaining eight European nations who have qualified. They make up their own pot so that no group will contain will contain more than two teams from Europe.

Portugal and the Netherlands are joined in this pot by Switzerland, Slovenia, Greece, Denmark, Serbia, and Slovakia. Any of these teams can be drawn into any group.

The third and fourth pots will divide the remaining qualifiers from the CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, African, Asia, and Oceania regions.

Africa has five qualifiers and is paired with the three qualifiers from the CONMEBOL region to make a group of eight. Asia (four teams), CONCACAF (three remaining teams), and Oceania (one team) make up the final group of eight.

*Note the three CONEMBOL or CONCACAF teams could be in either pot, depending on how FIFA decide to organise the draw.

All of this leaves the pots for the World Cup draw looking as below:

(*Note: Pot 1 contains the seeded teams, thereafter Pots 2-4 are in no order of relative strength, i.e. Pot 2 is not a higher seed than Pot 4.)

Pot 1: South Africa, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Spain, England, France, Argentina

Pot 2: Portugal, Netherlands, Switzerland, Slovenia, Greece, Denmark, Serbia, Slovakia

Pot 3: Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, Ghana, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Algeria

Pot 4: South Korea, Japan, Australia, North Korea, Mexico, USA, Honduras, New Zealand

Below, by way of speculation and to make things more interesting is a *random * draw of how the groups could come out using these seedings and pots:

Random Draw

Group A: South Africa, Switzerland, Chile, USA

Group B: England, Portugal, Cameroon, Honduras

Group C: Spain, Slovakia, Cote d’Ivoire, South Korea

Group D: Brazil, Slovenia, Ghana, Mexico

Group E: Argentina, Netherlands, Nigeria, North Korea

Group F: France, Greece, Uruguay, Australia

Group G: Germany, Serbia, Algeria, New Zealand

Group H: Italy, Denmark, Paraguay, Japan

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Five Things Fabio Capello Learnt About England After Playing Brazil

Matt S — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:53:54 -0500

Now that the dust has settled on England’s 1-0 defeat to Brazil on Saturday it’s time to examine exactly what Fabio Capello will have learnt from the Three Lions’ trip to Doha.

The match was only Capello’s fourth defeat as England manager and the Italian will have learnt the following from the match, the latest in a series of high-profile friendlies against the top sides in world football.

1. England’s best players must stay injury-free

To be fair Capello was probably aware of this already but never quite to this extent where he was only able to call upon two of his first-choice XI on Saturday. Despite John Terry’s claims after the game, England would struggle to beat Brazil even with all of their best players available and stood little or no chance when the injuries started to pile up. The 1-0 scoreline flattered England and, as unlikely as it may be, Capello will need all of his top players in prime condition if the Three Lions are to make significant progress in South Africa.

2. Possession is key

Brazil under Dunga are very quick to drop off the opposition once their attack breaks down in order to protect themselves from being hit on the counter attack, something which they are expert at themselves. This gave England’s back four, particularly the centre-backs, a lot of time on the ball, time that they were not ever able to use effectively as too many balls ended up being hit long and aimlessly towards the forwards.

Capello desires greater movement both on and off the ball from his midfield and they were caught too square too frequently on Saturday and as a result found it extremely difficult to penetrate the Brazilian backline through a passing game. Something which would equally be helped by…

3. Greater creativity

Contrary to popular belief Capello is not the typical defensive-minded Italian coach. England were free-scoring in the qualifiers and put nine past Slaven Bilic’s Croatia over the two games. In his first choice XI Capello places a lot of attacking emphasis on the ability of Gerrard and Rooney to combine and interchange in their positions on the left and just behind the frontman.

James Milner offered a more stable presence on the left, covering Maicon’s forward bursts diligently, but failed to strike up any constructive inter-play with Rooney. Whilst the Aston Villa man is looking increasingly like a good bet for the World Cup squad one can’t help but think that Capello must find room for a fit again Joe Cole, who is sadly one of his kind in English football.

4. Some players can book their summer holidays

The plethora of injuries gave the England coach a good opportunity to try out some players that are on the fringe of his squad. In a way the poor performance will have helped the decision making process as most did little to stake their claim.

Darren Bent will have needed to have been very impressive in training last week as he had little opportunity to do so during the actual match. Opportunities to make an impact are few and far between in international football and it’s a long wait until March for England’s next match.

Jermaine Jenas hadn’t played for England for over a year and assuming that Lampard, Gerrard, Carrick and possibly even Hargreaves, return to fitness then he might have to wait longer than that until his next cap.

5. England need someone else to knock Brazil out

England’s historical record against Brazil is extremely poor with only three wins out of 23 games after Saturday’s match, none of which have come in competitive games.

Brazil have beaten England in three World Cups in the past and, again contrary to John Terry’s remarks after the game, the Three Lions look unlikely to reverse their fortunes next summer against Brazil’s current generation.

Fabio Capello must cross his fingers for the upcoming World Cup draw next month and hope that England are drawn on the opposite side of the draw to the five-times champions, and that someone has done them a favour if they’re fortunate enough to progress as far as the semi-finals.

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David Beckham Deserves 1000 Caps If He Rescues England's World Cup Bid

Alex Dimond — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:24:26 -0500

As happens without fail every four years, World Cup talk is dominating English football.

For the players in and around manager Fabio Capello’s national squad, the focus is on making the plane for South Africa next summer.

For those lucky enough to be all but guaranteed their seat—and there are a few—the focus is on launching a bid to win the big prize on the horizon.

For the Football Association, the situation is slightly different.

While the directors of English football’s governing body are still devoting considerable resources to give Capello everything he needs to launch a strong challenge next summer, they are also focusing equal attention on launching a successful World Cup bid of their own.

Instead of 2010, the FA is looking to 2018, when they hope they can bring the World Cup back to England for the first time in 52 years.

When England hosted that last tournament, in 1966, Bobby Moore famously lead the Three Lions to their solitary triumph in the game’s biggest tournament.

And hopes are high that, after so many years of hurt, a return of the final to a new Wembley might yield the same famous old result.

That long wait to host, as well as England’s self-proclaimed status as the "home of football" (something that has been deliberately underplayed during campaigning so as not to offend) would seem to give the bid more weight than that of its rivals.

Couple that with the fact it has an unrivalled collection of world-class stadiums and infrastructure to call upon, and, on paper at least, any bid from the sceptred isle would appear to be a winner.

But in many respects, England and the wider United Kingdom is not currently in the best of health. While many other European and world nations are slowly steering their ship clear of recession, the United Kingdom is still waging a seemingly losing battle with high unemployment and floundering industry.

And while London will host the Olympics in 2012, disputes and debates about how the event will be financed has raised awkward questions in many minds.

Equally, the continued fall-out of the invasion of Iraq means the United Kingdom does not enjoy political popularity with many on the world stage.

But, unlike many other prominent sporting or cultural events, football tends to exist in its own world, with the 25 voters on FIFA’s panel concerned with the politics of football above and beyond anything else.

Nevertheless, the England 2018 bid has so far managed to make a real hash of things.

Prominent FIFA voter Jack Warner—who has the power to significantly influence who is awarded the honour—has criticized the bid on numerous occasions, and the common consensus is that England’s pitch—lacking the impressive spokesman that many successful bids have had (for example Germany with Franz Beckanbauer for 2006)—has so far failed to impress, especially against stiff competition from the likes of Spain & Portugal.

"My colleagues are saying very quietly that the guys [from England] who are coming to them are lightweight. This is the type of thing that loses you a bid,” Warner said last month.

"You have to look at what others are doing and also be creative yourself, these things are not happening."

With the bid perceived to be handicapped by the lack of heavyweights and hanging by a thread, this week the bid team turned to desperate measures.

Six members of the bid’s board were demoted, including National Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe, while former FA chief Geoff Thompson—who is on FIFA’s executive panel—has been drafted in to improve the situation.

Lord Triesman, the current FA chief in overall charge of the bid, tried to put a positive spin on the move:

"In our view, these changes reflect a positive development and send a loud message of absolute determination to bring the World Cup tournament to England,” he said.

"We've got to a point where the England 2018 campaign requires focus, determination and where everybody involved has a specific purpose to help us win the bid."

This week, the bid also appointed former Chelsea director of communications Simon Greenberg to oversee their positive presentation in the media. But hopes of success, ironically, now seem to lie on the shoulders of one very prominent player.

David Beckham.

He might not have played in English domestic football for over six years, but the current LA Galaxy and AC Milan midfielder is the man who now carries the hopes of a nation.

“I’ll do whatever it takes, without a doubt,” Beckham said.

“If I can fly to different countries and help us have a chance of winning, then I’ll do that. It would be special to win the World Cup and then host it, but there is a long way to go before that.

"It’s everyone’s dream to do that, but there is a lot of hard work for both.”

The 34-year-old will spend £50,000 of his own money to part-finance the chartering of a private jet to locations from Kuala Lumpur and Cape Town to woo the FIFA voters. The England 2018 team is hoping he will be exactly the heavy hitter Warner et al believes they have lacked.

"He's a phenomenal asset," admitted Lord Triesman.

“There are certainly a number of people who they (FIFA) want to meet and the person whom I suspect most want to meet is David.

"We want him there the maximum amount of time, we want him to be safe when he's there and to do as much with us as we can get him to do. Thank goodness he's totally up for it."

Yet Beckham’s reputation in the media and with the England squad has rarely been rosy.

From his sending off in the World Cup against Argentina in 1998 to his unceremonious removal from the squad by Steve McClaren, the low points have outweighed the highlights during his 113 caps.

Even now, his position in the national squad is the source of much debate.

Much was made last week when LA Galaxy’s successful progression to MLS’s Western Conference final forced Beckham to withdraw from the England squad against Brazil, thus meaning England would have to reach the World Cup final next summer (and Beckham play a part in every game) for him to equal Peter Shilton’s national record of 125 caps.

Even more was made, much of it in outrage, when Beckham equaled Bobby Moore’s outfield record of 108 caps back in February. Few believed Beckham deserved to equal the incomparable Moore, regarded as England’s greatest ever captain.

But while Bobby Moore may have won the World Cup, David Beckham might yet bring the whole tournament to England.

It won’t be a single-handed triumph, but many close to the bid now accept he will play a massive role in any success.

And if the bid is eventually successful, perhaps he deserves all the caps he eventually collects.

After all, such an achievement will surely make him the most significant single player in the country’s history.

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England's World Cup Squad: Who's Hot, Who's Not?

Matt S — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:23:19 -0500

Saturday’s defeat to Brazil was only the fourth in Fabio Capello’s 21 games in charge of the England team, but the Italian will have been far from impressed by the performances from a number of England players in a game in which they were flattered by the 1-0 scoreline to their opponents.

A host of injuries lead to Capello being able to call on only two of his first-choice XI for the match in Doha, but it did at least afford the Italian the opportunity to try out a number of fringe players hoping to force their way into the final few spots up for grabs in the 23-man selection next summer.

Whilst it was tempting to put the entire England side under the second label, below I examine which players made a strong case for inclusion in South Africa, and who should look to find alternative plans around June and July next year.

Who’s HOT

Matt Upson

Capello’s third-choice centre-back has filled in for Rio Ferdinand with increasing regularity and was one of the few players to emerge with any credit from Saturday’s defeat. Switched to the right-hand side of the central defensive pairing after Lescott was drafted in for John Terry and made one exceptional tackle on the edge of his own box when Kaka threatened to burst through the England backline.

Almost caught out in the first half by Nilmar when trying to shepherd the ball out of play on the right-hand touchline, but generally performed well. The West Ham man looks assured of his place in the squad next year, leaving one spot up for grabs in central defence after Ferdinand and Terry.

Ben Foster

Should have seen red when he brought down Nilmar to concede the penalty after being sold short by club teammate Wes Brown’s back-pass, but that aside was comfortable in his handling, and stood little chance with the goal.

Needed a decent performance after his recent wobbles at club level, and with David James’ injury problems coming more to the fore it seems that only a severe lack of first team football at Old Trafford would deny him a place as at least a back-up ‘keeper next summer. A worry that Foster himself expressed in his post-match interviews when he spoke of not currently making the bench at United.

Needs to stop aiming his clearances towards the diminutive Wright-Phillips, however.

Anyone that missed this game through injury

David James, Glen Johnson, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, David Beckham, Michael Carrick, Carlton Cole, and Emile Heskey all enhanced their reputations by not being involved in this sub-standard performance.

Carrick and Carlton Cole are probably sweating on their places in South Africa the most, but even their chances were boosted as those given the opportunity in their places failed to shine.

Who’s NOT

Shaun Wright-Phillips

The Manchester City winger put in a couple of decent crosses which lead to England’s best chances of the game, but by and large looked devoid of ideas when facing up to Michel Bastos at left-back. Bastos beat himself on most occasions, his own errors letting Wright-Phillips get past him a couple of times.

Capello seems to prefer raw pace on the right-hand side in the form of either Lennon or Walcott, both of whom outstrip Wright-Phillips in terms of out-and-out speed. Beckham still appears to be the back-up option due to offering a different approach and Wright-Phillips looks likely to miss the cut unless injuries strike.

Darren Bent

Never really got the chance to show what he can do in front of goal due to the nature of the team’s performance and his isolation in attack. Seldom linked up with Rooney, and showed most why Capello favours partnering Heskey up front with the Manchester United man. Bent won little in the air, and couldn’t hold the ball up long enough for support to arrive, areas in which Heskey excels, as well the art of winning free-kicks whilst shielding the ball in dangerous wide areas.

Bent is unfortunate that such is the beast of international football there is only one more game left to force his way into the squad. Must ensure he is still banging them in for Sunderland when England’s next fixture rolls around in March.

Was a long way behind Defoe in the pecking order even before the match, and you feel he would have needed a couple of goals on Saturday for Capello to even start thinking about changing his mind.

Jermaine Jenas

Drafted into the starting XI for the first time in over a year when Carrick withdrew with an ankle injury, the Spurs’ midfielder made little impression up against Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo in the middle of the park.

In fairness, Gareth Barry also toiled alongside him for the majority of the match but the Manchester City man has already done enough to guarantee his place in the final squad, and probably first XI, whereas Jenas will need to get some to push Carrick out of the picture come next summer, although you get the impression that Capello would much rather make room for a fit and returning Owen Hargreaves in his squad.

Wes Brown

Had to be included here after being caught out for the only goal of the game when he allowed Nilmar to drift in between him and Upson, and was also at fault when England conceded a penalty soon after, an incident which would have seen Foster walk if the match wasn’t a friendly.

Made a goal-saving block with his head later in the game and made a lot of tackles throughout the match, but will be remembered for the errors at the end of the day.

Still looks a good bet for the squad, however, due to England’s dearth of right-backs. Luke Young was third-choice at right-back but has retired from international football, and Gary Neville, and Micah Richards still appear to be someway behind.

James Milner’s versatility could be the biggest threat to his inclusion next summer, although Brown can point to his ability at centre-back as something equally in his favour.

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Brazil 1-0 England: Nilmar Tames Toothless Three Lions

Owen Watson — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:41:58 -0500

Brazil triumphed over England in the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha thanks to a header from Nilmar at the start of the second half.

Luis Fabiano squandered an opportunity to put his side two up by blazing his penalty over after England goalkeeper Ben Foster had brought down Nilmar.

England's chances in the first half were fleeting. Shaun Wright-Phillips put left-back Michel Bastos under pressure high up the field and managed to steal the ball, the Manchester City winger attacked the byline and whipped a quality cross into the penalty area. Captain for the night Wayne Rooney stretched but couldn't make contact with his right boot and the chance came to nothing.

Brazil had a chance to take the lead, as Nilmar attacked down the left flank. Matthew Upson came across and tried to shepherd the Brazilian out of play.

The West Ham United defender got it all wrong however and Nilmar broke into space, he entered the penalty area and tried to pull the ball back across the box. Joleon Lescott was on hand to clear the danger for the Three Lions.

The South Americans were growing in confidence and attacked down the left again, with Bastos threading a pass through to Luis Fabiano. Upson did well to get his body between the Sevilla forward and the ball and passed back to Foster in the England goal. Foster slipped as he cleared and the ball went straight to Kaka 30 yards from goal. Fortunately for England, the Real Madrid star couldn't control and the danger subsided.

Kaka combined brilliantly with Fabiano to tear the England backline apart in the 20th minute, playing the ball into his forward. Kaka continued his run as Fabiano controlled and back-heeled into his path. Only a last ditch challenge by Upson denied Kaka a one-on-one with Foster.

England responded with a good passage of play, this culminated with James Milner crossing into the box from the right wing with his left foot. The Aston Villa winger's delivery arched towards Darren Bent but it was a fraction too high for the Sunderland forward and his header looped harmlessly over the bar.

Brazil continued to attack and Fabiano found himself a pocket of space in the England penalty area. He retreated towards his own goal and attempted to play Elano in down the right channel. Wayne Bridge read the pass well and intervened, intercepting in his own box but conceded a needless corner.

England cleared the corner but Felipe Melo engineered himself some space cleverly on the edge of the box and hit a curling strike through a crowd of bodies. His shot was aimed towards the bottom corner but Foster was positioned well and caught it comfortably.

The Three Lions should have had a free-kick just outside the penalty area. Bent combined well with Rooney to play the Manchester United striker in on the left edge of the area, but as he cut inside he was body checked by Thiago Silva. The referee looked to play advantage as Bent steamed forward and shot first time, but his strike was deflected wide for a corner.

Brazil took the lead with their first attack in the second half. Elano picked up the ball in the centre of midfield and floated a curling pass towards Nilmar in the penalty box. The Villarreal striker stole a yard on his marker and guided a looping header beyond the stranded Foster—1-0 to Brazil.

It went from bad to worse for England as Wes Brown tried to cushion the ball back to Foster with his chest. Nilmar stole in and dinked the ball away from the England keeper who swiftly brought the Brazilian down for a penalty. Foster was fortunate to only receive a yellow card for the challenge, and was rewarded further as Fabiano blazed over from the spot.

England were reeling and could have conceded a second as centre-back Lucio brought the ball forward and weaved his way through the England defence. He fed the ball to Elano who was in the right-hand side of the box. The ex-Manchester City midfielder cut back and drilled a shot across goal, but it was wayward and went well wide.

England ventured forward in the 70th minute. They attacked down the right and Wright-Phillips crossed towards Milner at the back post. The Aston Villa winger attempted a shot with his instep, side-footing a volley over the crossbar. Sadly this represented England's best chance so far.

Lucio unleashed a magnificent left-footed strike for Brazil. The right-footed defender picked the ball up on the edge of the box and smashed a shot towards the near post. Foster was at full stretch but it was the woodwork that denied the Brazilian a goal as his strike crashed off the keeper's left-hand post.

England did manage to test Julio Cesar before the game was up, as Rooney shot from distance. It was straight at the Inter Milan keeper though, and he saved easily.

The Three Lions had a small flurry towards the end of the match, firing a couple of promising balls into the box. But substitutes Jermaine Defoe and Peter Crouch failed to capitalise.

This article was first published on Goal.com

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Brazil 1-0 England: England Wilt in Doha Heat

Christopher Potter — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:39:57 -0500

England stuttered to an ingenuous 1-0 defeat this evening in humid Middle Eastern conditions in their friendly match against top seeds Brazil at Doha's Khalifa Stadium.

An expertly placed Nilmar header settled the match just seconds after the interval, but Luis Fabiano's later penalty miss only masked the clear difference in quality between the two World Cup contenders.

Such was England's inadequacy and lack of ambition that it was not unit the final quarter of the match that they forced Samba goalkeeper Julio Cesar to make his only save of the night.

In fact, one of the only positives to emerge from the match was that no England player suffered injury. On the evidence, this may be of little consequence, given the insipid performance of many fringe players.

Fabio Capello had earlier handed the likes of Wes Brown, Jermaine Jenas and Darren Bent a great chance to showcase their qualities.

Brown was only reprieved of a hopeless moment of misjudgement early in the second half by Luis Fabiano's woeful penalty, after the Manchester United full-back inadvertently played Nilmar in on goal with a weak chested pass back to teammate Ben Foster, who subsequently conceded a penalty and a yellow card for his trip on the Brazilian winger.

Netither Jenas nor Bent fared much better. The latter trudged off the field after 55 minutes of chasing shadows as England's midfield failed to provide him with any decent passes or create any space for the Sunderland frontman.

Tottenham Hotspur's Jenas worked hard all night, but his wasteful free-kick in the second half summed up England's offensive performance as Fabio Capello looked on from the touchline in despair.

Both managers fielded teams full of attacking intent.

Brazil effectively played in a 4-2-3-1 formation with former Manchester City playmaker Elano Blumer and upcoming Villarreal forward Nilmar supporting lone striker Luis Fabiano from the flanks. Kaka was given poetic licence in 'the hole' in a fluid tactical system.

Fabio Capello mirrored his counterpart Dunga's formation, with the creative duties handed to new father Wayne Rooney, who was captain for the night.

This formation proved to be the only similarity between the sides.

Despite showing occasional attacking instincts, Shaun Wright-Phillips and James Milner were easily kept quiet by Douglas Maicon and Brazil's makeshift left-back, Michel Bastos.

On the contrary, Nilmar was a nuisance on Brazil's left and caught out Wes Brown on more than one occasion, and his link-up play with superstar Kaka was notable.

In the absence of Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Michael Carrick, England's lack of quality and experience in central midfield was telling, and Jermaine Jenas often looked like a goldfish who had escaped his bowl, only to end up drowning in a large pond full of bigger and better fish.

For all of Brazil's incisive passing and keep-ball, the World Cup favourites created only one good first-half chance as Michel Bastos skimmed a shot narrowly past Foster's far post from the left edge of the penalty box after a foraging run by Man of the Match Lucio had exposed England's soft core.

England's threat was nil, and Rooney looked a forlorn figure as he blazed over the bar from far out.

Capello looked to half-time as a chance to regroup and lay out a clear gameplan, which had been either lacking or ineffective in the opening period.

Brazil's early goal was in this context a huge blow to England, as Nilmar expertly met Elano's perfect cross to dink a header over Foster from 15 yards.

Brazil should have won the match minutes later from the spot after Wes Brown misjudged a back-pass.

The game petered out thereafter, despite Lucio thundering a long-range shot against the post and a last-gasp push from the Three Lions, who made several late substitutions to no effect.

Despite fielding a weakened team in unfamiliar and tough conditions against a proficient team, Fabio Capello will be worried by the lack of ambition and drive shown by most of his players.

England fans will expect a lot more next summer—Fabio Capello will have his work cut out over the following eight months if he is to lead them to their second World Cup triumph.

FINAL SCORE: Brazil 1 (0) - England 0 (0)

Nilmar 47'

Ratings:

England: Foster 5; Brown 4, Upson 5, Lescott 7, Bridge 5; Wright-Phillips 6 (Crouch), Jenas 4, Barry 5 (Huddlestone), Milner 6 (Young); Rooney 6; Bent 5 (Defoe 5)

Brazil: Julio Cesar 5; Maicon 5, Lucio 9, Thiago Silva 6; Bastos 6; Elano 6 (Dani Alves), Melo 7, Gilberto Silva 7, Nilmar 8 (Carlos Eduardo); Kaka 8 (Julio Baptista); Luis Fabiano 7 (Hulk)

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