England Buckle under Brazil 英格蘭敗給巴西

Fabio Capello’s England squad received a reality check 現狀核實，使人面對現實的事情 in Doha 卡塔爾首都多哈 on Saturday when they lost 1-0 to Brazil in a friendly game.

After qualifying easily for next year’s World Cup in South Africa, the usual hyperbole 夸張 surrounding England’s chances of winning the tournament had already begun.

Saturday’s defeat then came as a sobering dose 使人清醒的劑量 of cold, hard reality 現實 which exposed the frailties 暴露了薄弱點 of a depleted squad 二級隊.

In fairness many of Capello’s star players, such as Gerrard and Beckham were ruled out 被除外 by injury or club commitments.

Nevertheless, even stand-in 臨時的 captain, Wayne Rooney, admitted that England did not match Brazil’s speed and ability.

"We started really slow in the second half," said the Manchester United striker.

"You can't afford to do that against opposition like Brazil because they will punish you," added Rooney.

England were lucky to lose by only one goal as Brazil missed a penalty 點球 following England goalkeeper Ben Foster’s foul on the Brazilian Nilmar.

Foster himself admitted he was fortunate not to be sent off for the infraction 犯規.

"I was lucky to stay on the pitch, I have to be honest," he said.

"I thought I was a goner, but then there were a few strange decisions from the officials," added Foster.

To be a goner is a phrase which literally means to be about to die, however, here Foster means that he thought the game was about to end for him.

Despite the fact that Brazil could have won by a more significant margin 大比分差, the England manager felt that he learned important lessons about his team from the game.

"We were not strong enough to play against Brazil. We need to be stronger physically and in the tackle 搶球," said Capello.

But he also pointed out that the game was a case of Brazil’s first XI 最強陣容 against England’s second.

"We had many players missing and we played against the best of Brazil. They were only missing one player."