Hodgson insists England go to Brazil in ‘good spirits’ despite difficult draw

England manager Roy Hodgson admits it was frustrating to see his side held to a stalemate against Honduras, but believes there shouldn’t be too much read into the result, with the World Cup starting next week.

It was a difficult afternoon in Miami, with the humid conditions having their effect on the players, before a heavy thunderstorm saw play suspended for 45 minutes.

When the match resumed England returned to dominating possession, but found it hard to find a breakthrough.

“It was very frustrating,” commented Hodgson afterwards. “It was attack versus defence, especially throughout the second half.

“It’s disappointing not to win it but on the other hand the good news is that there aren’t any injuries and the other aspect that pleases me is that we’ve had three excellent weeks of preparation and go to Brazil in good spirits.”

Honduras, who kick-off their own World Cup campaign against France on June 15, opted for a more physical approach, with full-back Brayan Beckeles sent off for two bookable offences, but Hodgson refused to lambast his opponent’s style so close to the tournament.

“I accept that teams play as they play. The referee dealt with it reasonably well, you never know what’s going to be thrown at you.

“Luckily we’ve come away injury free, with a bit more experience, another 90 minutes in the heat and we’ve come through with having to deal with the unusual experience of the match being held up.

“I think it’s going to be very different in Brazil, not least of all the seriousness of the competition. It would be foolish to use these warm-up games for anything different than what they are.”