Hodgson praises England despite draw

England boss Roy Hodgson was impressed with his side’s performance despite only managing a 2-2 draw with Ecuador on Wednesday.

Hodgson’s team fell behind early on in Miami to an Enner Valencia effort before goals from Wayne Rooney and Rickie Lambert turned things around.

However, Ecuador claimed a draw thanks to a 70th-minute strike from Michael Arroyo.

The game took an ugly turn late on as Raheem Sterling and Antonio Valencia were sent off after the latter grabbed the England winger by the neck in reaction to a rash challenge.

But, although England were unable to find a third goal, Hodgson still offered praise to his players for their performance.

“It was a very young line-up and almost a complete 11 players rested from the previous match (against Peru),” Hodgson said.

“But I thought we acquitted ourselves quite brilliantly and played some very good football at times.

“In my opinion, it’s quite a well-merited and prestigious draw against a strong Ecuadorian team.”

Meanwhile, The Football Association (FA) released a brief statement after team sheets were distributed before the match containing the passport numbers of the England players.

The FA posted on Twitter: “The issue of team-sheets is a matter for the match organisers, the publication and distribution of the team sheets are their responsibility.”