England, boasting many stars including defender Terry and midfielder Lampard, were stunned when Egypt took a first-half lead through Mohamed Zidan in Wednesday's friendly at Wembley.

They roared back in the second half with two goals from Peter Crouch and one from Shaun Wright-Philips to win 3-1.

"Egypt worked really hard for each other and were great on the ball," Terry, who was stripped of England's captaincy after reports emerged over his alleged relationship with Wayne Bridge's ex-girlfriend, was quoted as saying by Sky Sports.

"To come back from a goal down against a really good side that won the African Nations Cup was great."

Egypt produced an impressive performance in the first half, defending well and hitting England on the break.

They looked on course to cause another major upset in the space of nine months, having beaten world champions Italy 1-0 in the Confederations Cup last year.

But they couldn't keep up the momentum after the break, giving England the chance to spare their blushes.

"Egypt showed themselves to be a very capable team, very good on the ball," Lampard, who had a chance to score an early goal but was denied by Egypt keeper Essam Al-Hadari, said.

"That's why they are African champions."