1 Hodgson’s decision to have a go worked well

Having been accused of sending England into the dark ages, Roy Hodgson came into this match boasting about how many passes his team had completed in their draw with the Republic of Ireland (500, in case it was missed). So it was ironic to see so many of his players give the ball away, often under the mildest of pressure. Hodgson cannot do much about that but he is responsible for the utter lack of adventure England shown prior to Fred’s opener. Credit to Hodgson for pushing his players on towards an equaliser, which Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain got prior to Wayne Rooney‘s strike, and while England could not hold on to their lead they were far more of a joy to watch in attack-mode. One can only wonder if the manager now sees the benefit of allowing England to go forward with gusto.

2 Rooney continues to revel for his country

A sense of drift may surround the forward’s club career but at international level he is flourishing. Prior to this match Wayne Rooney had scored six times in his last six appearances for England and, although he failed to find the back of the net against Ireland, the 27-year-old still caught the eye with his incisive passing from a position behind the main striker. Here he was the main striker and, while cutting an isolated figure early on due to England’s lack of urgency, he showed a willingness to come deep to get involved and led England’s attack later. Rooney’s curled finish on 79 minutes was a fitting reward for an industrious and intelligent display.

3 Neymar shows he can be the great entertainer

“My objective is to entertain” is the mantra of the player Barcelona have just spent £50m on. For some it is a case of wondering what the fuss is all about but here the 21-year-old showed glimpses of his talents. Positioned behind Fred, Neymar was an elusive presence, bristling with creativity, and could well have given the hosts the lead on 22 minutes with a wonderful curling shot having twisted Michael Carrick inside and out. There was a lovely clipped pass to Filipe Luís early on, too, but there were other moments of frustrating play. Neymar is by no means the finished article but he looks like a man who will entertain the Camp Nou faithful.

4 Jones finds little joy in the heat of the battle

It says much about Phil Jones’s versatility that the Football Association’s official website has him down as a defender but at the Maracanã he started on the right of a three-man midfield. This was the 21-year-old’s seventh cap and, while he showed admirable willingness to receive the ball, often under pressure, this was a difficult game for the player as he was forced to chase yellow and blue shadows in Rio’s sapping heat. It did not come as a surprise to see Jones eventually moved to right-back.

5 Oscar shaping up to be World Cup’s leading man

Whatever the fixture and whatever the era, it always intrigues to see Brazil in action. What caught the eye here was how often they were prepared to hit long, straight balls from deep. Once in England territory, however, their movement was as fast as it was fluid, with Oscar in particular impressing from the right side of Brazil’s midfield. The Chelsea man could well be one of the stars of next summer’s World Cup.

(The Guardian )