England's first meeting against the Republic of Ireland since the infamous night 18 years ago in Dublin was a peaceful affair at Wembley tonight.
The last meeting at Lansdowne Road in 1995 had to be stopped because of rioting in the crowd but, apart from a green flare thrown to the pitch in the first half, there was no trouble this evening.
The flare was launched just after Shane Long had headed the visitors into the lead. Their advantage didn't last long as Frank Lampard pulled England level 10 minutes later.
No further goals followed but England had the better chances after the interval.
Here, Sports Mole picks the bones out of tonight's friendly.
Match statistics:
England:
Shots 15
On target 7
Possession 49%
Corners 9
Fouls 8
Ireland:
Shots 8
On target 3
Possession 51%
Corners 4
Fouls 15
Was the result fair?
Probably, yes. Ireland were the better side in the opening 20 minutes and deservedly took the lead through Long's fine header. England stole an equaliser as Lampard took advantage of Sean St Ledger's missed clearance and that gave the hosts impetus to go on and take control of the game. Either side could have won it after the interval but England looked more likely as Arsenal duo Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Theo Walcott spurned the best chances.
England's performance
A sluggish start from Roy Hodgson's men but by the end of the first half they had got going. Daniel Sturridge was looking dangerous but he was stretchered off just before the break and will now miss Sunday's game in Brazil. Further back Michael Carrick threaded the needle with many passes while Gary Cahill made important tackles in defence. Wayne Rooney dictated the play more and more in the second half and Hodgson will be hoping that the Manchester United man can be a big influence in Rio.
Ireland's performance
The men in green were welcome by a rousing atmosphere from their fans inside Wembley and they gave them something to sing about in just the 13th minute. Seamus Coleman's cross was perfect and Long's header brilliantly flicked over Joe Hart into the far corner. Giovanni Trapattoni's men could have sat back on their lead but they continued to push forward and more than matched loftier opponents England.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Gary Cahill: He may think that he could have done better for Long's goal, but Chelsea defender Cahill was assured all evening, making plenty of tackles and interceptions when Ireland came forward.
Biggest gaffe
Goes to Oxlade-Chamberlain for his miss in the second half. Rooney's attempted through-ball deflected perfectly for the youngster to either beat David Forde or square for Walcott but just hit it straight at Forde, who pushed it over.
Referee performance
William Collum had a simple game with the whistle as tempers didn't flare on the pitch. In the first half he made the right call with a couple of penalty appeals and had little to do in the second.
What next?
England: Next up for the Three Lions is a trip to Brazil for Sunday's match against next year's World Cup hosts at the new Maracana stadium.
Ireland: The Irish also have another friendly on Sunday as they welcome Georgia to Dublin.
Pascal Lemesre
