The last time England met Brazil in 2002, a young buck-toothed genius playing for Paris Saint-Germain named Ronaldinho sent the entire nation into tears with a glowing individual performance to end Sven Goran-Eriksson and Co’s World Cup dream at the quarter-final stage. Final score that day in Shizuoka, Japan: England 1 Brazil 2.

5 years on, the nation which invented football and the nation that beautified it met again on a stage totally fitting for such a clash of the titans—the new Wembley Stadium.

In that manner, nothing’s changed, in that David Beckham is still being worshipped by England fans as the bright white hope of the national team, and poor little injury-prone Michael Owen still leads the attack of arguably the world’s most publicised international team.

For Brazil, perhaps there is an underlying shift in the balance of power concerning the next No. 10 ‘fantasista’. Ronaldinho, FIFA World Player of the Year in successive years in 2004 and 2005, was not wearing the Number 10 jersey he sported at last year’s disastrous World Cup campaign. Rather, AC Milan’s rising star Kaka, was handed the bright yellow jersey that represents so much history and tradition in Brazilian football.

With both sides donning their traditional colours, England in the white and Brazil in their famous golden yellow, the stage looked set for a classic encounter to mark a special night–the first match played at night–at the rebuilt Wembley.

Beckham’s return to the national side was the talking point on the headlines of all English papers in the run-up to the match, and the former England captain put in a trademark performance, that while not exactly glowing up alongside the likes of illustrious counterparts Kaka and Ronaldinho, was full of energy, spirit and the classic long-range passes and lethal dead-ball deliveries.

It was Brazil who took the initiative to the opponents with barely 4 minutes gone on the clock. Brazil’s new number 10, Kaka, showed some nifty footwork to make space for a left-foot shot, but failed to connect well and test Paul Robinson in the England goal.

With such quality household names in both midfields, Beckham, Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard for England in a 4-4-2 formation, and Brazil with Kaka, Ronaldinho, Robinho and Gilberto Silva, it was no surprise when the opening moments of the first half turned out to be bogged down in the middle of the park

But there was a first real expectant roar from the England faithful on 11 minutes, when Beckham showed great vision to pick out Michael Owen with a floated cross-field ball from wide on the right, which was just too long for the diminutive striker to latch onto. Brazil’s first real shot in anger came 5 minutes later when the energetic Robinho tied Jamie Carragher up in knots on the left flank with several stepovers before cutting in and shooting wide of the near post.

Beckham lit up Wembley again with a neat turn before being fouled by his Brazilian marker, as England looked to draw first blood early on.

On 19 minutes, the ball did indeed find the back of the net, but it was England’s and not Brazil’s, as Gilberto Silva headed in a lofted ball from the center, but the whistle was blown for offside, though it appeared that it was fellow compatriot Vagner Love and not the Arsenal man who had strayed too far out.

England hit back with Gerrard bursting onto a loose ball just outside the area, only to be impeded by Brazilian centre-back Juan. There was only ever going to be one taker, and up stepped Beckham, with Wembley holding its breath. A swish of that famous right boot…and the ball drifted just past the far left post, with several in the crowd jumping off their seats, thinking it had gone in.

Ronaldinho then got into the act as well, surging from the halfway line and befuddling Gerrard with a neat flick in between the Liverpool man’s legs before nonchalantly playing a no-look pass to Love, who was unceremoniously brought down by Tottenham’s Ledley King, playing in centre defence alongside John Terry.

Up stepped the buck-toothed Brazilian for his potential moment of glory, but his accuracy was sorely lacking and went wide of the far right post. The Barcelona star was getting more involved gradually as the half went on, and he nearly caught Robinson unawares with a curling effort from the left edge of the England penalty box in the 39th minute.

Next was a wild shot from way outside the box, which evoked a cheeky grin meant for his teammates in a better position.  Half-time arrived with neither side’s defence budging much in terms of gifting opportunities to the other, and Wembley had yet to see its first international goal since it reopened earlier in the year.

They did come the nearest yet to doing just that when Stewart Downing, barely off the substitutes’ bench for England, took a vicious crack at goal from 30 yards out which required the fingertips of Helton in the Brazilian goal to divert up and over the bar.

Brazil failed to heed that warning however, and on 67 minutes, most of the 88745 crowd in Wembley rose to their feet with a goal so typical of the England of old. David Beckham whipped in a terrific pinpoint free-kick from near the right touchline which allowed Terry to tower above his marker at the back post to crash his header into the bottom right corner of Helton’s goal. Wembley erupted as one, and it was an interesting sight to see the team going to congratulate both the current England captain and the ex-captain.

The team in bright yellow weren’t about to roll over yet, though, and boss Dunga sent on Heerenveen striker Afonso Alves, top scorer in the Dutch Eredivisie, for Kaka in the 70th minute. McClaren responded in kind, bringing off Terry to great applause to be replaced by Manchester United‘s Wes Brown.

And the Manchester United man so nearly handed the visitors a gift however, when he comically tripped over his own feet trying to clear Ronaldinho’s through ball which the quick-thinking Alves pounced on, only to steer his effort wide of the right post.  Beckham finally departed in the 77th minute to thunderous applause from the Wembley crowd, and the world’s most famous footballer responded, taking his time to acknowledge the cheers as he strolled off the pitch.

With the Three Lions faithful beginning to belt out “God Save the Queen”, it was left to Alves to warn them that all was not over when he headed onto the roof of the net from Ronaldinho’s corner. When that went unheeded, however, it was left to substitute Diego Ribas, of Werder Bremen fame, to gatecrash the Wembley party with his header in injury-time.

The English defence allowed Gilberto Silva far too much time and space on the edge of the box to curl in a measured cross, and Diego rose above all in the box to direct his header downwards, creeping past Robinson into the bottom left corner in almost agonising slowness.

Barely seconds later, the whistle blew for full-time and England had been denied a famous victory fitting for new Wembley’s first real night. Brazil didn’t deserve to lose, but were gifted their equaliser, and Steve McClaren will have to make sure the lapse in concentration is cut out when the Three Lions meet lowly Estonia in the Euro 2008 qualifiers in midweek.