Facing Brazil a 'great experience', admits grounded Gomez

England goalkeeper Joe Hart praised his inexperienced defence, including Joe Gomez, after they kept Neymar and company quiet at Wembley.

Published : Nov 15, 2017 10:59 IST

England defender Joe Gomez
England defender Joe Gomez
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England defender Joe Gomez

Joe Gomez was able to reflect on a "great experience" after marking his first England start with a man-of-the-match performance in the 0-0 draw with Brazil.

The Liverpool defender followed up his debut off the bench in last Friday's stalemate against Germany by helping Gareth Southgate's injury-hit side keep the five-time world champion at bay at the Wembley Stadium on Tuesday.

Gomez has mainly been used at right-back for his club this season yet looked completely at home occupying one of the three central roles in England's new-look 3-5-2 formation.

READ: Gomez impresses as England stifles Neymar and company

Now, the 20-year-old is aiming to maintain the same lofty standards on a consistent basis in the hope it leads to further international opportunities in the future.

"For someone like me it's a great experience to play at this level against a team like Brazil with the individuals they have," the defender said.

"We are happy with the clean sheet. It's a team effort — the whole team, defensively, put in a good shift. I'm happy with that.

"It's special for me — it's a great honour to play for England at this level. I've just got to aim to keep playing and improve each day then hopefully opportunities will come."

ALSO READ: Gotze delighted with Germany return

England team-mate Joe Hart praised Gomez and the rest of the defence for stifling a Brazil side that had waltzed through the CONMEBOL section to qualify for next year's World Cup in Russia.

"I thought the defensive backline were phenomenal," the West Ham goalkeeper said.

"I cannot speak highly enough of his [Gomez's] performance. He's played against one of the hottest players in the world [in Neymar] and has done really, really well against him.

 

"It's not a win — but it's a great performance. We've played against the two best teams in the world and while we didn't win, we also didn't lose."

Hart was restored to the starting XI for the Brazil fixture after Jordan Pickford had impressed on debut in the 0-0 draw with Germany.

"I'm made up for how Jordan played. It was a really good trip for people like Jordan, Joe, Tammy Abraham, Ruben [Loftus-Cheek] and even Dom [Solanke] coming on at the end. It's great for boys like that," Hart added.

"I'm pleased for them because I want England to do well in the future. I love getting to play too, so when I play I try my best."

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