Slick England spoil Scolari's Brazil return
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LONDON (AFP) - England beat Brazil 2-1 on Wednesday to end a 23-year wait for victory over the five-time world champions and consign Luiz Felipe Scolari to defeat in the first game of his second spell as Brazil coach.
On a chilly Wembley night that saw Ashley Cole win his 100th England cap, home goalkeeper Joe Hart saved an early penalty from the recalled Ronaldinho, before Wayne Rooney put Roy Hodgson's side ahead.
An error from Gary Cahill allowed half-time substitute Fred to equalise for Brazil early in the second half, but Cahill's Chelsea team-mate Frank Lampard gave England victory with a smartly taken goal on the hour.
The friendly game was being played to mark the start of the Football Association's 150th anniversary celebrations, and in Scolari's disjointed Brazil, England found unexpectedly generous opponents. Hodgson's men will now approach March's World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Montenegro in good heart, while Scolari must revisit his plans to craft a side capable of winning a sixth world title on home soil in 2014.
