The Sport Matrix: Monday 3 May 2013

Late Paulinho strikes denies England victory

A late equaliser from Paulinho denied England a fortuitous victory against Brazil last night, Roy Hodgson’s side drawing 2-2 with the World Cup hosts in the Maracana. Fred, right, had put the hosts ahead early in the second-half, before fine replies from Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Wayne Rooney gave England hope of just a second victory in Brazil.

“It’s a great feeling,” Oxlade-Chamberlain said of his strike. “You want to be able to close out the game so from that aspect it is disappointing. It was tough coming to a stadium like this, but 2-2 is not a bad result.”

Joe Hart admitted England struggled to match Brazil before the break. “In the first half we didn’t play great,” the Manchester City goalkeeper said. “We battled and dug deep. It wasn’t how we wanted to play. Ox came in and smashed us back into the game.” MORE

New Zealand coast to series victory

A second successive unbeaten century from Martin Guptill helped New Zealand to an ODI series win over England as they won by 86 runs at the Rose Bowl. Guptill’s 189 not out helped the Kiwi’s post 359-3, with England in reply all out for 273, despite Jonathan Trott’s ton. MORE

Srinivasan to step aside from role

The Board of Control for Cricket in India says president N Srinivasan will step aside from his role until an investigation into allegations of spot-fixing in this year’s Indian Premier League has been completed. Srinivasan has stopped short of resigning. MORE

Intello challenges for Ruler’s crown

The decisive success of Intello in the Prix du Jockey-Club represented an immediate challenge to the claims of Derby winner Ruler Of The World as the premier middle distance colt of their generation in Europe. MORE

Vunipola hat-trick helps England win

Billy Vunipola scored a hat-trick on his first international start as England began their South American tour with a 41-21 win against a Consur XV last night. Ben Foden went over twice, along with Tom Wood and Paul Doran Jones, while Jonny May and Alex Corbisiero were sent to the sin bin.

Crutchlow finishes on podium again

Jorge Lorenzo claimed his third successive Italian GP to close in on championship leader Dani Pedrosa. Pedrosa finished second, as Cal Crutchlow became the first British rider to claim back-to-back MotoGP podium places in 15 years as he finished third.

Farrell: We can’t afford to retaliate

Owen Farrell has insisted he will not allow his temper to get the better of him after coming to blows with an opponent during Saturday’s opening Lions tour match. “You can’t afford to retaliate,” he said. “These are big games; losing someone to the sin-bin would be massive.” MORE

McBryde: Lions pair can show the way

Wales caretaker coach Robin McBryde believes his inexperienced side should be inspired by the success of Lions pair Sam Warburton and Jonathan Davies. “[They] were given a similar opportunity four years ago and are now on the Lions tour,” he said.

Opinion: Sam Wallace

When Gareth Bale leaves Spurs, he needs to make sure that the club he joins is his best option in every respect. Will that be Real Madrid? The best advice you could give him is that it does not have to be. MORE

Sturridge adds to Reds’ striking woes

Liverpool fear the ankle injury suffered by Daniel Sturridge on England duty last week could keep him out of the start of next season. Doubts already surround the future of fellow Anfield forward Luis Suarez, leaving manager Brendan Rodgers in need of reinforcements. MORE

Keane leads the way in Irish rout

Robbie Keane celebrated equalling the Republic of Ireland appearance record with two goals that helped his side overcome Georgia 4-0. The LA Galaxy striker scored on his 125th cap following earlier strikes from Richard Keogh and Simon Cox.