Hodgson encouraged by win

England manager Roy Hodgson has challenged his young players to carry the momentum from their victory over Brazil into their forthcoming World Cup qualifying matches.

Goals from Wayne Rooney and Frank Lampard saw England beat Brazil 2-1 at Wembley Stadium on Wednesday, as Hodgson's men kick-started the Football Association's 150th anniversary celebrations with an impressive win.

England's Frank Lampard (2nd right) scores past Brazil's goalkeeper, Julio Cesar, during an international friendly at Wembley Stadium in London on Wednesday. Eddie Keogh / Reuters

England faces trips to San Marino and Montenegro when its World Cup qualification campaign resumes in March, and Hodgson says his players should approach the games with the knowledge that they need fear no-one.

"I hope it gives them belief," he said. "We had quite a young team, lots of whom are 22 and younger. The player who you (the media) have designated man of the match (Wilshere) is 21, Theo Walcott is 22 (sic: Walcott is actually 23).

"It really was a blend of youth and experience. We had lots of young players on the field - Tom Cleverley as well, and Danny Welbeck - and it was nice that they blended with the more experienced ones.

"And it's nice they're seeing that they're good enough to play in this team and help the team win matches."

Having seen Brazil threaten to take control of the game after Fred's goal, Hodgson said he had been encouraged by the way his players rode the storm before reasserting their authority on the match.

"The most pleasing thing was the character we showed after the slightly dodgy spell at the start of the second half," he said.

"Against a side like Brazil, you make a couple of mistakes like that, they pressured us because they smelled blood, but we did well to react and take control of the game again. We were unlucky not to score again."

In Luiz Felipe Scolari's postmatch press conference, the Brazil manager flashed a rueful smile as he branded Wilshere's performance "very good", and Hodgson acknowledged it was becoming impossible to manage the hype around the Arsenal player's performances.

"I was trying to protect him from the pressure, but he doesn't need it," said the England manager.

"You can crank up the expectation as much as you like, because he seems comfortable with it. As long as he's comfortable, why should I worry about it?"