Poland 1 England 1: match report Tiresome, traditional flaws were in evidence. England too often treated the ball as an alien object, offloading too hurriedly, occasionally to the Poles, often to the crowd. At least, the closed roof would have prevented any wayward clearances disappearing into the Vistula. And so it began. Michael Carrick gave the ball away, then Glen Johnson overhit a pass, then Gerrard wasted possession, then Milner. Carrick, usually sensible in delivery, erred again. Then Cleverley, Joleon Lescott, Milner, Gerrard and Rooney. And that was just the first half. A theme was developing here, certainly developing more than a cohesive move, and that theme was a failure to keep the ball. The Spanish must laugh when they watch England. England, at least, harbour a flinty resilience, a streak of defiance seen in their dogged defending and, amusingly, in the perimeter advertising of their sponsors who boasted a new car that had a roof that could close in 17 seconds. Beat that, Warsaw. Hodgson cannot be held accountable for the deep fault-lines scarring the landscape of English football, frailties that will take many years of working on schoolboy skill levels to remedy. Events in Warsaw highlighted why St George's Park is so needed, increasing the quantity and quality of youth coaches. One day, England will prove they can retain the ball against good opposition. It will not be one day soon. Poland were decent but hardly world-beaters. Even England's more accomplished players struggled. Rooney was poor, his contribution rescued from total penury by a couple of eye-catching first-half moments. When Ashley Cole was caught out of position, and Cleverley was not close enough to cover, Rooney tracked back superbly to slide in and clear the ball from under the flying feet of Piszczek for a throw-in. Rooney then made another impression, this time on the scoreline, and the England all-time scoring charts, when he headed in Gerrard's 31st-minute corner via Piszczek. It took Rooney to 32 goals in 78 internationals, and 24 goals in 51 competitive games (two behind Michael Owen). Yet in keeping with the week's rain-soaked mood, the tide was with Poland. The National Stadium's witty DJ, who had attempted to allievate the frustration of Tuesday's drenched gathering with U2"s Beautiful Day and Coldplay's Waterfall, started yesterday with Adele's Rolling In The Deep. Make that the deep end. It was certainly all hands to the pump for England, even with Rooney's deflected header. Poland menaced constantly. When Ludovic Obrianak and Kamil Grosicki combined, Piszczek was denied by Hart. Phil Jagielka then needed to be alert to nip in ahead of Lewandowski. Rooney's goal shortly after the half-hour should have settled England but it was a night of serial dissatisfaction. Cole, appraising a throw-in's potential, was booked for time-wasting, a laughable decision by the referee Gianluca Rocchi. The Italian was the most guilty of prevarication this week, having waited a couple of hours on Tuesday before announcing the inevitable postponement of the game. Still Poland moved and probed. Grosicki shot wide. Johnson thwarted Lewandowski. Hart pushed over an Obraniak shot. Yet as the second half gathered pace, England could and should have acquired crucial insurance. From a Gerrard free-kick on the right, Defoe fired wide. He was then replaced by Welbeck, who soon slightly dawdled in possession but Rooney should still have done better with his club-mate's eventual cutback. These were big moments, big misses. A 2-0 lead and England would have been looking at a warm reception in Rio, if not from the Girl from Ipanema, then at least her less celebrated younger sister. Unfortunately, Hart then misjudged a corner badly, allowing Kamil Glik to head in, ensuring qualification for Brazil has turned into a real dogfight for England. Poland: Tyton, Piszczek, Wasilewski, Wawrzyniak, Glik, Polanski, Krychowiak, Wszolek (Mierzejewski 63), Grosicki (Milik 82), Obraniak (Borysiuk 90), Lewandowski. Subs: Kuszczak, Wojtkowiak, Komorowski, Murawski, Sobota, Piech, Perquis, Sobiech, Skorupski. Booked: Polanski, Glik. Goal: Glik 70. England: Hart, Glen Johnson, Jagielka, Lescott, Cole, Milner, Carrick, Gerrard, Cleverley, Rooney (Oxlade-Chamberlain 73),Defoe (Welbeck 67). Subs: Ruddy, Walker, Baines, Cahill, Shawcross, Shelvey, Lennon, Adam Johnson, Carroll, Forster. Booked: Cole. Goal: Rooney 31. Ref: G Rocchi (Italy).