England 0 Chile 2 - Match analysis

Two goals from Chile's Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez, at the beginning and end of a friendly which backfired on Hodgson, separated the teams and gave England a sense of the distance they must cover to make a telling challenge at next summer's finals in Brazil.

As the first of only three friendlies after which Hodgson must name his squad for the greatest football tournament of them all, it was imperative the England boss began ruling things out as much as ruling them in.

Three debuts were afforded goalkeeper Fraser Forster and Southampton forwards Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez while England also ran through the limit of their six substitutions as Hodgson utilised every opportunity to gather input.

It was a difficult night for the Saints pair. Rodriguez lasted under an hour before giving way to Andros Townsend while Lallana looked more comfortable.

But maybe the real value of the exercise came in telling Hodgson that neither are ready yet to swap home comforts for taxing international challenges.

Perhaps the biggest imprint of the night, however, was left by the quality of the opposition. Chile swarmed all over England and displayed a speed and energy across the full width of the pitch, and a nimbleness and comfort in possession, which brought a sobering context to the hosts' recent World Cup momentum.

To be so well-handled by the nation which qualified third in South America's order of merit opened the nation's eyes still further to the scale of next summer's task.

That could ultimately aid England's cause if it dampens the usual ardour which propels them towards tournament finals.

Despite an unfamiliar line-up, captained by Frank Lampard on a night which began with his daughters as mascots and his dad presenting him with his delayed 100th cap, England made their chances.

Chile's Real Sociedad keeper Claudio Bravo may be a little over-expressive for some tastes, but there was no denying his effectiveness as he twice denied England inside the first five minutes.

Forster, in contrast, is a giant but less agile presence – and there was nothing he could do to prevent Chile's strike from their first counter-attack.

It exposed a lack of pace in England's centre defence, in which Gary Cahill and Phil Jones formed an uncertain alliance, and then caught out Leighton Baines at the far post as Eugenio Mena's cross came in.

Sanchez darted before Baines to head home in an act of sharpness and speed of thought which became the principle feature of Chile's football.

As much as Wigan's Jean Beausejour might have extended his team's lead, so too could England have levelled before the break. Bravo made two more athletic saves from Lampard and

Jack Wilshere before the half closed with Lallana's big moment arriving and slipping his grasp.

Some splendid play by Wilshere and Wayne Rooney was met by a shot which deflected wide but, taken with greater certainty, would have found its target.

But the hearty exchange of chances was followed by the real lesson of the night for Hodgson's team as Chile broke up the game with a cohesion in possession which still defeats English players.

Albion fans will have recognised with a shudder the playback which showed former defender Gonzalo Jara escaping a red card for a wholly unnecessary head butt at Chris Smalling but otherwise Chile were faultless in defence of their lead.

England were finished by some woeful mis-understanding in defence – unfortunately Cahill was once more a culprit – which gave Sanchez the opportunity to apply a finishing flourish.

It was a repeat of the scoreline in Chile's previous visit to Wembley in 1998 when England went on to mount a creditable World Cup challenge in France. It was difficult to see quite the same destiny after this one, however.

England: Forster, Johnson, Jones (Smalling 57), Cahill, Baines, Milner (Defoe 66), Wilshere (Cleverley 70), Lampard (Henderson 70), Lallana (Barkley 76), Rooney, Rodriguez (Townsend 57). Subs not used: Ruddy, Cole, Gibbs, Jagielka, Hart.

Chile: Bravo, Mena, Gonzalez, Isla (Jara 59), Fernandez (Gutierrez 45), Beausejour, Medel, Aranguiz (Carmona 45), Diaz, Alexis, Vargas (Munoz 70). Subs not used: Toselli, Silva, Valdivia, Rojas, Fernandes, Fuenzalida, Herrera.

Att: 62,963. Ref: S Meyer (Germany).

Martin Swain