England 3 Walcott 29, Welbeck 53, Lambert 70
Scotland 2 Morrison 11, Miller 49
England Hart - Walker, Cahill, Jagielka (Jones 85), Baines - Gerrard(c) (Oxlade-Chamberlain 62), Wilshere (Lampard 46), Cleverley (Milner 67) - Welbeck, Rooney (Lambert 67), Walcott (Zaha 75). Booked: Walker, Walcott, Lampard
Scotland McGregor - Hutton, Hanley, Martin, Whittaker - Snodgrass (Conway 66), Brown, Morrison (Rhodes 82), Forrest (Mulgrew 67) - Maloney (Naismith 86), Miller (Griffiths 73). Booked: Snodgrass
Attendance 80,485 at Wembley Stadium Referee Felix Brych (Germany)
Kick-off 8pm. Live on ITV1.
RICKIE LAMBERT scored with his first touch in international football as England twice came from behind to beat Scotland 3-2 in a thrilling opening to the new season at Wembley.
The Southampton striker sent a brilliant bullet header into the bottom corner to make a perfect, if rather belated, start to his international career.
Substitute Lambert could have had even more in his 25 minutes on the pitch, hitting the post from point blank range and then forcing Scotland goalkeeper Allan McGregor into a near post save in stoppage time.
It was all a far cry from the way the match had begun.
Indeed, the first meeting in 14 years between football's oldest international rivals began with Scotland on top, and it was no surprise to see them make an early breakthrough.
A corner on 11 minutes was only half-cleared and fell to James Morrison on the edge of the box. Taking one touch to control the ball, the West Bromwich Albion midfielder then hit a rasping drive which went through the hands of the unsighted Joe Hart.
Morrison had his tail up and, a couple of minutes later, he tried another long-range effort after the lacklustre England defence had again given the ball away cheaply.
However, Roy Hodgson's side eventually got into the game and launched a response as full back Kyle Walker, with sharp play down the right, fed Wayne Rooney.
Rooney laid the ball off to his club mate Tom Cleverley and only a dual block from the two Scotland centre backs, Russell Martin and Grant Hanley, prevented an equaliser.
Within two minutes of that chance, though, England were level as a fine ball over the top from Cleverley put in Theo Walcott.
The Arsenal man turned his full back inside out before sneaking the ball inside the near post of McGregor for only his fifth international goal. Scotland's lead had lasted just 19 minutes.
Buoyed by their equaliser, England then finished stronger out of the two teams as the first half drew to a close.
Cleverley and Rooney, who was playing his first game for more than 10 weeks, both sent shots off target before Rooney was incorrectly flagged offside having been put through by skipper Steven Gerrard.
Scotland were suddenly in desperate need of half time - and relief for them duly came.
Refreshed, the visitors launched another early raid on the England defence - and, incredibly, the early blow worked again.
With the half just three minutes old, Vancouver Whitecaps striker Kenny Miller was presented with a rare chance to attack the England defence.
Miller did well, beating Chelsea's Gary Cahill all ends up to turn and fire a shot right into the bottom corner. Wembley was stunned; Scotland had got the lead again.
Not for long, though - indeed, the length of time that Gordon Strachan's men held the advantage after their second goal was even shorter - just four minutes.
Already, Gerrard had gone close to an immediate response with a deflected inswinging free-kick which McGregor had only just parried away.
But the Liverpool talisman then delivered another beauty for Danny Welbeck to head a second equaliser.
After that, the match took on a more predictable pattern as England finally gained a proper upper hand on their neighbours from the north.
First, half-time substitute Frank Lampard stepped around in plenty of space on the edge of the box to hit a low shot before Welbeck went close a spectacular second after a knock-down by Cahill.
Despite England gaining control, though, Scotland seemed content to keep the score level and chance their arm on the break. The hosts needed clearly something different to break the deadlock.
'Different' came in the form of Lambert, a man making his international debut at the age of 31 - and probably only called up due to injury to the likes of Jermain Defoe and Daniel Sturridge.
But, unlike one-cap wonder Kevin Davies, Lambert was ready to make his mark - and, having been afforded a spare yard at the corner, no goalkeeper would have saved his superb header.
England led for the first time all night and, as the game drew to its close, Hodgson was able to introduce Wilfried Zaha for just his second cap.
Of course, Lambert and Zaha are somewhat at the opposite end of their respective careers - but both offer something else off the bench which England will need to consider at next year's World Cup... if the Three Lions make it.
Meanwhile, it is a little disheartening to me that it now seems rather uncool to enjoy any officially non-competitive international match, even if the fixture is one which continues an 111-year duel.
Having said that, it is difficult to argue against the scrapping of an August friendly fixture, particularly as tonight's match came rather ridiculously just three days before the start of the Premier League season.
However, this particularly rivalry really should be invoked far more often than it has been in the last quarter of a century - this was just the fourth game between the sides since 1989.
And yet, tonight was an undeniably enjoyable occasion - there was banter but no serious incidents of violence - and the game produced an excellent contest which also raised money for the Teenage Cancer Trust.
Yes, playing the match in August - just before the start of the season - is probably not the best idea, and annual meetings, as in previous decades, would also soon lose their lustre.
But England really should still meet Scotland more regularly than once every 14 years. For, if nothing else, tonight's entertaining display from both teams shows that the Battle of Britain lives on and remains meaningful even now.
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