Wayne Rooney: 5/10
Everyone always says Wayne Rooney is the most talented English player. In the first half of this game he looked like a fan competition winner who’d been awarded the chance to play with his heroes.
He improved little in his fifteen minutes after the break, and he looked as rusty as could be expected of a player who hasn’t had any first team action for a month.
It appeared that Hodgson had spent much of his team talk explaining to Rooney where he wanted him to play, and he gradually started to involve himself more in play, but too often his first touch let him down.
The good news was that he looked in extremely good shape for a player who has not made an impact on a major tournament since Euro 2004. The bad news was that he did very little in attack.
England have long built their team around Wayne Rooney. Despite a fine club season for Manchester United, he has work to do to justify such a major role in the side.
Daniel Sturridge: 7/10
After a scrappy opening half hour, Daniel Sturridge produced a moment of magic to break the deadlock, curling in a wonderful shot from the edge of the area.
Prior to his goal, Sturridge had looked laboured, often miscontrolling upon receiving the ball, but a fine finish brought him confidence, and he subsequently improved in possession.
Substitutes: on next page