Liverpool Youngster Admits Delight After Dominant Defensive Performance in First England Start

Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has called his first England start 'special' after being part of an England defence which kept a clean sheet against Brazil, with the 20-year-old doing an impressive job of shutting down Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar at Wembley. 

Gomez made his debut last Friday when he came on for the injured Phil Jones in the first half against Germany, contributing to a clean sheet in a 0-0 draw in that match before playing the entire 90 minutes against Tite's Brazil. 

Speaking to ITV Sport (via the Star) after the game, he said: "For someone like me it's a great experience to play at this level against a team like Brazil with the individuals they have. We are happy with the clean sheet. It's a team effort and 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."

Joe Hart praised the Liverpool youngster's performance after the game, having been restored to his starting berth after Jordan Pickford took the gloves against Germany. 

"I thought the defensive backline were phenomenal," said Hart. "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."

The Three Lions will play friendlies against high-profile World Cup non-qualifiers Italy and the Netherlands in March as they prepare for the summer's tournament in Russia.