Less than three months before the Euro, England came up against Brazil this Saturday (1-0). In front of the sparse stands at Wembley, the Three Lions – regularly cited among the favorites of the competition – have several times struggled to contain the Brazilian offensives.
First goal for Endrick
Very comfortable and author of several confusing ball catches in the middle, Lucas Paqueta threw Vinicius deep. The Real striker thought he was opening the scoring, but Kyle Walker prevented the ball from crossing the line (12th). As the minutes passed, the general impression around the match had nothing to do with that of a friendly. The two teams indeed set a very intense pace in the first half. Served by Phil Foden, Declan Rice alerted Bento (22nd), while Lucas Paqueta found the post a little later (35th). Harry Maguire’s failed control almost cost him a goal, but Raphinha crossed his shot too far (42nd).
Beraldo, second from the left in the second row, celebrated his first cap with a victory at Wembley. (Photo by Ben Stansall / AFP) AFP or licensors
Upon returning from the locker room, the debates continued to be balanced. Despite a slight drop in the pace of the match, Lucas Paqueta stood out. The former OL midfielder made several classy moves, notably a first-intention strike which grazed Pickford’s post (63rd). Dominant and taking advantage of English sluggishness in attack – Harry Kane, injured, was not on the scoresheet – Brazil knew how to preserve their cage. Starting for the first time in the selection, Lucas Beraldo was not worried. The Parisian defender had a quiet evening, taking advantage of the injury to Marquinhos, affected since February 17 and a trip to Nantes (2-0).
On the offensive level, Brazil ended up finding the fault by finding its arrows in depth. Having gone behind the backs of the English, Vinicius offered himself a face-to-face against the English goalkeeper. Solid, Pickford was abandoned by his defense which had not followed Endrick. The young player from Palmeiras (17 years old), future Real player, followed well and scored his first goal in the Auriverde jersey (1-0, 80th). England will challenge Belgium next Tuesday. Brazil will play against Spain.
