England leave Doha with nothing
Saturday 14 November 2009
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Kaká (left) vies for possession with England's Jermaine Jenas (©Getty Images)
Brazil 1-0 England
Villarreal CF striker Nilmar's second-half header in Doha condemned Fabio Capello to his fourth defeat as England manager.
Impressive qualifying
Both sides topped their respective qualifying groups for next year's finals in South Africa, but it was five-times winners Brazil who carried such form with them to Qatar. Dunga's charges were more creative throughout, with the incision with which Elano picked out Nilmar for the game's decisive goal two minutes after half-time the perfect demonstration of their superior attacking threat.
Missed penalty
England were chasing shadows throughout a first period in which Felipe Melo and Kaká chanced their arms but were denied by Ben Foster. The Manchester United FC goalkeeper, however, could not prevent Nilmar's header from looping over him and into the net on 47 minutes. He found himself in further strife when club team-mate Wes Brown's chested pass fell to the goalscorer, forcing Foster to fell the lively striker. Luis Fabiano blazed over from the spot and Lucio later struck a post with a fierce drive while England could muster only a James Milner volley and tame Wayne Rooney shot as solace for their long trip home.
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