England vs. Brazil International Friendly Ends in 0-0 Draw

England earned a second consecutive 0-0 draw against top opposition as they played out a goalless encounter with Brazil at Wembley in a friendly clash on Tuesday.Having drawn a blank with world champions Germany on Friday, Gareth Southgate set up his England side to frustrate the Selecao, and they were successful once again.While the Three Lions barely had a shot in anger, they restricted a strong Brazil side to very few genuine efforts of their own, and goalkeeper Joe Hart produced a couple of decent saves when called upon.TheEvening Standard's James Olley provided both lineups ahead of kick-off:It was quite clear from the start how the game would pan out, England seemingly happy for Brazil to have much of the ball as they planned to cause damage on the break withMarcusRashford andJamieVardy.England were impressive defensively in the opening 45 minutes as they looked to contain the wealth of attacking talent in Brazil's starting XI.Hart was not forced into a save until the 12th minute when Gabriel Jesus directed a relatively tame header into the West Ham United goalkeeper's gloves.And Rashford then forced Brazil stopper Alisson to make a smart save in the 18th minute after a stinging effort from the edge of the box.Per Henry Winter ofTheTimes, the Selecao produced some intricate interplay in the opening half:But, in truth, they were frustrated by England's rearguard action, summed up when Neymar ballooned an effort way over the bar before half-time despite having options available to his right.Almost immediately after the break, Dani Alves was fed by Neymar beyond the defence for Brazil's best position of the night, but Hart saved well.The anticipated onslaught from the visitors did not come, but Rashford and Vardy were still feeding on scraps in the England attack.Brazil manager Tite will likely have been largely disappointed with his side's work in the final third,Fernandinho going closest in the final stages as he hit the woodwork after a driving run 15 minutes from time.Paulinho then had a fine effort saved by Hart in the 85th minute before Neymar dragged another off target.Former England striker andMatch of the Dayhost Gary Lineker saw a potential flaw in playing for 0-0 draws against the world's top sides:But England nearly snatched a win in the 89th minute when the ball dropped toDominic Solanke in space in the box, though he could not quite get his feet sorted in time andAlisson snuffed out the danger.
Click here to read full news..