The 17-year-old bagged his first international goal to seal a win in Dorival Junior’s debut contest at the helm
The weight of expectation thrust upon 17-year-old Endrick, home and abroad, has been largely unfair for a player of his age. But for Brazil against England on Saturday, he showed exactly why it might be warranted. The Real Madrid-bound forward blew open a drab contest, and bagged the winning goal to hand the Selecao a 1-0 win at Wembley.
But he wasn’t alone in his impact, as Vinicius Jr, too, did the damage. He should have given the Selecao the lead after running through on goal in the first half, but his scuffed effort was easily swept away off the line by Kyle Walker. Lucas Paqueta had a chance of his own soon after, but lashed it off the post with the goal gaping.
Introduced with 20 minutes remaining, Endrick immediately caused problems for the Three Lions, and he was rewarded for his persistence by opening the scoring with a simple tap-in after Vinicius’ effort fell into his path off the palms of Jordan Pickford.
Meanwhile, England created little to speak of, as Brazil’s five debutants performed admirably to see off Gareth Southgate’s side. Still, the message from this contest was clear: the Selecao’s next great hope has arrived.
GOAL rates Brazil’s players from Wembley Stadium…
Goalkeeper & Defence
Bento (6/10):
Didn’t have loads to do, but was tidy when called upon. An agreeable debut.
Danilo (8/10):
Threw in some important tackles, and only improved as the game wore on. An experienced performance.
Fabricio Bruno (6/10):
Rather susceptible to the long ball, and couldn’t cope with Watkins at times, though did get a crucial toe on the ball just as the Aston Villa man looked set to open the scoring.
Lucas Beraldo (7/10):
A solid showing from Paris Saint-Germain’s latest recruit. Handled Watkins effectively.
Wendell (6/10):
Made sure that Foden never really got involved. Didn’t offer much going forward, but offered cover so that Vinicius could push up.
Goalkeeper & Defence
Bento (6/10):
Didn’t have loads to do, but was tidy when called upon. An agreeable debut.
Danilo (8/10):
Threw in some important tackles, and only improved as the game wore on. An experienced performance.
Fabricio Bruno (6/10):
Rather susceptible to the long ball, and couldn’t cope with Watkins at times, though did get a crucial toe on the ball just as the Aston Villa man looked set to open the scoring.
Lucas Beraldo (7/10):
A solid showing from Paris Saint-Germain’s latest recruit. Handled Watkins effectively.
Wendell (6/10):
Made sure that Foden never really got involved. Didn’t offer much going forward, but offered cover so that Vinicius could push up.
Attack
Raphinha (7/10):
Full of energy on the right. Could, and maybe should, have found the net after dispossessing Maguire.
Rodrygo (6/10):
A few nice moments, but didn’t offer a consistent threat.
Vinicius Jr (8/10):
Really should have scored with the Selecao’s first attack. Even so, gave England nightmares all night long. So impactful, even if he didn’t find the net himself.
Subs & Manager
Andreas Pereira (7/10):
Played a crucial pass in the run up to Brazil’s goal.
Endrick (8/10):
Came on, created chaos, and scored the winner. What a moment.
Savio (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Douglas Luiz (N/A):
No time to make an impact.
Dorival Junior (8/10):
Handed five debuts in his first game as manager. A shaky start gave way to a promising showing. Not a bad way to get things going.