Netherlands 2 England 2: THIS FRIENDLY might have been more informative than Fabio Capello's blood pressure could safely withstand.

Laughable mistakes had his men 2-0 down, but the recovery through a pair of goals from the substitute Jermain Defoe was impressive. The visitors would have won had Carlton Cole not sent a late header past the post, but this had still been a disconcerting way to restart business following the summer break.

A new season is supposed to have everyone starting with a clean sheet, but all that was wiped away in the first half here was the reliability acquired under Capello. The errors smacked of times and managers gone by.

Rio Ferdinand, in particular, will have dreaded his return to the dressing-room at the interval. He can seldom have been so hapless for club or country. Given the ball in the right-back position, he hit a weak backpass in the direction of Robert Green in the 10th minute.

Dirk Kuyt intercepted and, with a poise that may have surprised Liverpool followers, worked his way round the goalkeeper. John Terry could not prevent the forward’s shot from finding the net.

The other Dutch goal in the first half at least ensured that someone else could be reproached. Gareth Barry lost possession to Arjen Robben who burst through and although the impressive Robert Green saved, Rafael van der Vaart swept the loose ball into the net.

The normal disciplines of international football had disappeared where England were concerned.

The nature of the occasion would not have let anyone dismiss the mishaps with a shrug. Footballers working for Capello will, by now, have been shrewd enough to work out that listlessness on the field is an offence that will be punished, irrespective of the status of the fixture in question.

The Italian is on record as saying that, when the team comes into the dressing-room, he demands a few minutes of silence while everyone composes themselves. It may have been quite a task for the manager to stick to that calm approach last night. The situation might have been worse still had a header by the unmarked Kuyt at the far post not been stopped Green’s legs after half an hour. The goalkeeper then had to turn an attempt by Robben over the bar after the winger had torn past Glen Johnson, who laboured in England’s defence.

The odd aspect was that England, when in possession, acquitted themselves fairly well.

Veteran David Beckham used the ball well. One free-kick from the right in the 23rd minute picked out Frank Lampard, but he could not quite connect properly.

Beckham had also linked with the Chelsea player earlier, but the through pass left Lampard at an angle on the right and he could not force a finish past the goalkeeper, Maarten Stekelenburg. There were hints of the competence that would allow the visitors to cut the deficit early in the second half.

In the 49th minute Defoe, on for Emile Heskey, pursued a long ball from Lampard and cut the lead. His impeccable shot clipped the inside of the post on its way to the net. Other substitutions saw Michael Carrick take over from Barry and Shaun Wright-Phillips relieve Beckham.

This game lost its impetus as players went off. Wayne Rooney’s night came to a close when Carlton Cole was introduced. The West Ham man almost equalised when he juggled the ball and unleashed a drive that flew just past the post. A little earlier James Milner, on for his debut in place of Ashley Young, had set up Defoe with a cross, but the header went high. The combination worked far better when the Villa winger broke through in the 77th minute and delivered an ideal low ball that Defoe turned in for an equaliser.

Guardian Service

NETHERLANDS:Stekelenburg, Heitinga, Ooijer, Mathijsen, Braafheid, De Jong, Schaars, Van der Vaart, Robben, van Persie, Kuyt. Subs: Vorm, Marcellis, Van Der Wiel, Sneijder, De Zeeuw, Afellay, Babel, Mendes Da Silva, Huntelaar.

ENGLAND:Green, Johnson, Ashley Cole, Ferdinand, Terry, Barry, Beckham, Lampard, Young, Heskey, Rooney. Subs: Robinson, Milner, Bridge, Upson, Lescott, Wright-Phillips, Carrick, Defoe, Carlton Cole, Walcott, Hart.

Referee:Nicola Rizzoli (Italy).