England defender Joe Gomez has pointed the finger at Brazil's ill-discipline after Saturday's 1-0 defeat at Wembley.
A second-half strike from new Real Madrid forward Endrick condemned the Three Lions to their first loss at home in 21 matches, since they were beaten by Denmark in the Nations League in October 2020. It wasn't a terrible performance from Gareth Southgate's side, but they didn't do enough to win the match.
However, England were left bemused by the standard of officiating during the game. Coach Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was involved in a furious half-time bust-up with the fourth official after he was unhappy with a series of decisions in the first-half as Brazil committed a number of fouls.
In fact, throughout the entire match, Brazil were guilting of making 19 fouls, compared to England's 11. West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta could have been shown a second yellow card for several late tackles and there was plenty of fierce challenges going in from both teams.
And Gomez was quick to question Brazil's discipline after the game. He said: "The number of fouls they gave away was, I’m sure, on the higher end of the scale.
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"It just shows both teams wanted to win and didn’t treat it like a friendly. It’s an important time for the team, leading up to a major tournament, so that’s the way Gareth [Southgate] wants us to approach the game.
"It's a massive fixture against a top team, so it was nice to be out there. It’s disappointing we didn’t get the win. The team played so well and dominated a lot of the game. They showed their quality with that chance."
Lucas Paqueta fouls Jude Bellingham at Wembley (Getty Images)Brazil had been without a win in six matches going into Saturday's trip to Wembley, but with new coach Dorival Junior earning victory in his first match in charge, the Selecao are embarking on an exciting new era.
"They've got well-established quality up front," Liverpool defender Gomez added. "They’re really good in and around the box, and with those combinations they showed how sharp they are. They finished the chance off to win the game, and those are the fine margins.
"They did well, but we have a lot of things to be positive about as well. We kept the ball well and had good possession. It’s an important game on Tuesday [against Belgium]. We want to gain momentum again."
As for England, they are back in action on Tuesday when they host Belgium.
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