Deep in the rich oil fields of Qatar, the English football team struck metal rather than gold as a bewitching Brazilian side showed all of their customary football jewels.

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Although this was merely a friendly, you somehow knew that Brazil would do everything that comes naturally to Brazilians.

For England, this was an altogether unnecessary and regrettable exercise. Perhaps they should have stayed at home.

The fact is that matches between Brazil and England are becoming embarrassingly predictable. It is rather like watching two teams from opposite ends of football's spectrum.

It may have been a public relations stunt or merely a brilliant marketing ploy. Brazil against England has an exotic feel on a dark English November evening. What could possibly go wrong?

Everything went off very smoothly indeed. Brazil simply humiliated England in a way that has almost become routine; England looked like naive schoolboys at their very first training session and the 1-0 victory for Brazil could have been a lot worse.

In fact a small rock fall could have turned into a landslide had the Brazilians been more ruthless and clinical.

Of course, whenever Brazil play England it is rather like walking into an art gallery and noticing an LS Lowry industrial scene next to a John Constable woodland masterpiece.

England, it seems, still belong to an age when men in flat caps stood outside belching chimneys. There is still something grimy and grotesque about some English football which may never be fully eliminated. It may be trapped in the English soul.

In complete contrast, all that has been spoken and written about Brazilian football needed no further introduction. Their football is exquisitely designed, beautifully woven together and a master-class of control and co-ordination.

It is the perfect fairytale, a rhythmic rhapsody and a stylish symphony. Where do these Brazilians come from? A place called football paradise, one suspects, where everything in yellow shimmers.

Whenever the likes of Kaka, Maicon, Luis Fabiano, Nilmar and Elano moved the ball around almost at will, you were once again reminded of the huge gulf that exists between Brazil and England.

In the sweltering heat of the Middle East, England still looked like those downtrodden Lowry factory workers while the Brazilians were like the samba dancers who never stop smiling.

True, England were missing the very heartbeat and for much of the match England did look a side in need of some fresh blood.

But even without Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and John Terry this was not an England performance that our great grandfathers will talk about. In fact, most of us wondered why we were watching it in the first place.

From this viewpoint the sound of names such as Gerrard, Lampard and Terry still grate on the ears. Undoubtedly Gerrard is an explosive, committed and full-blooded player but when pitted against the likes of Robinho, Kaka and possibly Ronaldinho, Gerrard has yet to convince at the highest level.

Lampard, although studious and technically good is no Kaka, and Terry is an impressively robust central defender.

So as winter draws on and international football goes into hibernation, it is time to cast our minds forward to the World Cup in South Africa next summer.

No firm conclusions can be drawn about a Brazil and England spectacle played out against a backdrop of wealthy Arab sheikhs.

It may be worth putting a few bob or two on England's chances but the bookies may have entirely different ideas.

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