England draw with Ireland, Hodgson pleased, nation disappointed

In a friendly match with the Republic of Ireland at "Wembley", which took place as part of the celebration of 150 years of the Football Association (FA), England played only 1:1.

The Irish took the lead with Shane Long's goal in the 13th minute with a header, and the final result was set by Frank Lampard ten minutes later. It was the Chelsea midfielder's 29th goal for the national team. His teammate Ashley Cole wore the captain's armband in this match, as a gift for 100 matches played for "proud Albion".

The draw with the Irish disappointed everyone in England, but not coach Roy Hodgson.

"I can't be dissatisfied. We knew it was going to be a tough game and we did everything to win. I'm especially pleased with how we played the second half. The only thing that prevents me from being completely satisfied is the fact that we didn't win," said Hodgson.

The English, who have two points less than Montenegro in the qualifying group H, now have an intercontinental flight to Rio de Janeiro and a friendly match with Brazil on June 2 at the legendary "Maracana".

"Stardiž will not be with us due to injury. The others are traveling".

However, the England coach's opinion about the "good game" is not shared by football legends on the Island. One of them, the top scorer of the World Cup in Mexico in 1986, Gary Lineker, believes that England is returning to the "dark years", especially because of the tactical setting.

"If we play like this at the Maracana, Brazil will humiliate us. We can't always play in a 4-4-2 system. We are too predictable, easy to read. Teams play against us without problems. We need creativity, play between the lines," he said. is Lineker.

In the last qualifying match, England barely avoided a defeat against Montenegro in Podgorica (1:1), although they were leading until the 75th minute.

The novelty in the "proud Albion" camp is the new jerseys, made by "Nike". In the Football Association of England, they expect record sales - provided that the national team makes it to the World Cup.

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