It is this itch that England are struggling to scratch. They rarely get much from Brazil. It was a night where things went from bad to worse, with their record against them worse than against any other opponent and creating all sorts of tough questions for Gareth Southgate. Despite Southgate missing key players, particularly captain Harry Kane, Luke Shaw and Bukayo Saka, it is intended to be a different and friendly fixture in the lead-up to the summer’s European Championships. Was. Brazil were being portrayed as in crisis, but new manager Dorival Junior warned he had no magic wand. After all, it looked as if he did.
England were second best. We were unable to achieve much on the offensive end, Kane and others were absent, and the lower team did not perform well. England looked vulnerable, especially in the first half – reports of Brazil’s collapse are clearly premature – and Dorival Junior’s side scored a deserved goal in the closing stages.
The mistake was caused by England substitute Lewis Dunk’s header being completely wrong, and alarm bells went off when Brazil substitute Andreas Pereira fired Vinicius Junior. Vinicius was denied by Jordan Pickford, but Endrik, the 17-year-old Palmeiras prodigy who will join Real Madrid in the summer, scored the rebound. Endrick was also on the bench and tried to score a second goal in stoppage time, but Jordan Pickford saved him one-on-one. The boos at the full-time whistle were inevitable, almost traditional, leaving Southgate with much to think about ahead of Tuesday night’s friendly against Belgium here. England have lost 12 of their 27 matches against Brazil and won just four.
England carried that belief into the game, which was unusual against Brazil. Did the people really expect them to be defeated? England have always had respect for the five-time world champions, but their respect has often crossed the line. The idea here was for England to assert themselves and capitalize on the nerves that must have been aroused in Dorival Junior’s first game. Seledid A starting eleven featuring five debutants.
Southgate was absent as a regular in four positions, and after being substituted early on, Kyle Walker was forced off with a muscular problem, leaving him in five positions. Ezri Konsa made his debut as right-back. It will be a difficult battle for England to find their rhythm.
Much of the pregame conversation was about how this is a new Brazil, one that millions of people back home are struggling to connect with. Never mind their performance so far in South American World Cup qualifiers – three losses in six games. There is a widespread perception in Brazil that Brazilian soccer is of a lower level than elite European soccer. Dorival Junior was also absent due to a number of injuries.
What a relief it was to have Vinicius as the new manager. The only undisputed A-lister in the line-up was a threat as Brazil tried to find touch and passing connections from the start. The Wembley crowd was silent.
Vinicius should have scored in the 12th minute, but his shot just went past Pickford, allowing Walker to come back and sweep in front of goal. The chance was created by Lucas Paqueta’s great skill and a floated through ball. There was a scene where Vinicius sliced from Walker in the area, but instead of shooting, he exaggerated the contact from Walker’s check and brought it down. It wasn’t a penalty.
Brazil was the more dangerous team, with a disdain for selling doom. Despite the obvious threat, Vinicius’ final product wasn’t there before the interval, nor was Rodrygo, who flickered in the 42nd minute and then converted a big chance. Harry Maguire had a moment he would like to forget, when he became Rodrygo and lost the ball. The fake number 9 dragged the shot out of bounds. For Brazil, the scene in the 35th minute when Paqueta hit the post with his side foot could also be a key point.
England could feel Brazil’s physical strength pushing them beyond their limits. Paqueta was lucky to avoid a second yellow card when he was tripped by Jude Bellingham just before half-time. Brazil appear to be targeting Bellingham, who was set to make a move on Bruno Guimarães. It was a test of Bellingham’s mettle. He was interrupted again and again and felt his blood boil.
England had their chances in the first half, with Ollie Watkins receiving a pass from Conor Gallagher and firing his best shot high. Anthony Gordon had a few shots on his debut before the interval but didn’t look like scoring, while Ben Chilwell found himself in a good position after a corner was half cleared, but the connection didn’t ring true. .
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Brazil centered around Gallagher, who Southgate had started in a problematic midfield position alongside Declan Rice. It would be harsh to single out Gallagher alone, but his lack of attention to the ball was also a concern.
It was strange to feel how flat the air at a packed Wembley felt – we were in paper airplane territory – and it spoke to the confidence of Brazil’s quick exchange. Also in England’s tempo and battle for first goal.
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Bellingham was England’s best hope, but the crowd sank further when Southgate replaced Bellingham midway through the second half. Jarrod Bowen came on and Phil Foden moved into the number 10 role. Paqueta had a great first shot just above the far post, but the second half was uneventful as nothing like the first half happened.
The biggest cheer in the lukewarm second half from England’s perspective was the cheers that greeted Coby Mainu’s debut off the bench.
Southgate’s side produced nothing after the interval. Endrick would become even more frustrated.
