Joe Gomez left furious during England-Brazil friendly contest, questions visitors discipline

England’s win streak at home was snapped on Saturday (Mar 22) as five-time world champions Brazil beat them 1-0 at the iconic Wembley Stadium. The match had a total of 30 fouls which showcased the robust nature of the game from both sides. In the end, a second-half strike from Endrick, Real Madrid’s latest signing currently on loan at Palmeiras, settled the match in favour of the visitors. The rough nature of the match, however, did not go well with England, particularly with Joe Gomez who was starting his first match for the Three Lions since 2020 (in open play).

Gomez questions Brazil’s discipline

“The number of fouls they gave away was, I’m sure, on the higher end of the scale,” Gomez questioned Brazil’s discipline after the game

“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.”

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The match had several frictional points including England assistant coach Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink’s involvement with fourth official over several challenges. He had an altercation with the officials for fouls that went unnoticed or should have been at least penalised with a yellow card. In fact, of the 30 fouls committed in the match, 19 came from Brazilian players showing the rough nature of the match.

Later in the match West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta could have easily been sent off for a second bookable offence, however, the Portugal referee Artur Manuel Soares Dias kept his cards in the pocket.

England’s preparations for Euro 2024

The fixture might have no bearing on England’s preparations for the Euro 2024, but has brought Gareth Southgate under little pressure. The England gaffer had a poor run in the build-up to the FIFA World Cup in 2022, which was considered a big factor when they were eliminated in the knockout stage. England are one of the favourites to win the Euro 2024 in Germany and will quickly need to find a solution to answer the existing issues.

Southgate’s side is next in action against Belgium on Tuesday while they will face Bosnia and Herzegovina in the build-up to the Euro 2024 in June. 

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