Joe Gomez has hit out at Brazil and their poor discipline after they beat England 1-0 on Saturday evening.
Gareth Southgate’s side suffered their first defeat since the 2022 World Cup against the Selecao, with 17-year-old Endrick netting a late winner at Wembley.
Despite having more possession and plenty of effort, England could not find the quality necessary to get back into the game, with Brazil’s tenacity ensuring Dorival Junior won his first game since taking over.
During the match, Brazil committed nineteen fouls to England’s eleven and Lucas Paqueta was perhaps lucky to avoid a second yellow card after being guilty of several late challenges in the first half.
And Gomez – who won his 12th England cap but his first since October 2020 – slammed Brazi’s behaviour.
Joe Gomez criticized Brazil’s behavior after they defeated England 1-0 at Wembley on Saturday evening
Brazilian wonderkid Endrick scored a late winner for the visitors after a rebound
Lucas Paqueta was perhaps lucky to avoid a second yellow after some late tackles
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“The number of fouls they gave away was, I’m sure, at the higher end of the scale,” said the in-form Liverpool defender.
‘It shows that both teams wanted to win and did not treat it as a friendly match. It’s an important time for the team, leading up to a big tournament, so that’s the way Gareth (Southgate) wants us to approach the game.
“It’s a huge game against a top team, so it was nice to be there. It’s disappointing that we didn’t win. The team played well and dominated much of the match. They showed their quality with that opportunity.’
England players and staff were left frustrated after Paqueta avoided a red card, with coach Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink involved in an argument with the fourth official at half-time, allegedly in relation to the West Ham midfielder.
But despite his frustration, Gomez praised Brazil’s performance and insisted there wasn’t much to the match.
He added: ‘They have an established quality beforehand. They are very good in and around the box and with those combinations they showed how sharp they are.
England were left frustrated as they suffered their first defeat since the 2022 Qatar World Cup
Gomez (right) made his first England appearance since 2020 after his good form for Liverpool
“They finished the chance to win the game, and those are the small margins.
‘They have done well, but we also have a lot of things to be positive about. We kept the ball well and had good possession. It’s an important match on Tuesday (against Belgium). We want to get momentum back.”