Brazil’s new teenage sensation Endrick struck late on to condemn England to defeat in a scrappy friendly at Wembley.

The game looked to be petering out into a draw. But Vinicius Jr broke clear and the 17-year-old substitute was left with a simple finish from close range, despite England keeper Jordan Pickford’s save with 10 minutes left, BBC reports.

It capped an unsatisfactory night for England. Their defence, Harry Maguire in particular, looked vulnerable as they lost captain Kyle Walker to a hamstring injury early on.

England manager Gareth Southgate gave a debut to Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon from the start, while Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa and Manchester United’s teenage midfield prodigy Kobbie Mainoo won their first caps as substitutes.

The quality of the game was reflected in the experimental nature of the sides, with Brazil having the better of the first-half chances. Ollie Watkins blazed over from close range with England’s best opportunity while Raphinha wasted Brazil’s biggest chance as he was off target following Maguire’s poor backpass.

England’s star man Jude Bellingham was subjected to heavy physical treatment throughout until he was substituted.

Then Endrick sent the large contingent of Brazil fans into wild celebrations with his winner.

It was England’s first defeat at Wembley in 21 games. They were beaten there by Denmark in the Uefa Nations League in October 2020.

Endrick

Endrick is regarded as the new sensation of Brazilian football and he rewrote Wembley history with his winning goal, becoming the youngest male goalscorer for club or country at the stadium at just 17 years and 246 days.

He almost added a second with the final kick of the game only to be denied by Pickford. However, his exciting cameo as a second-half substitute confirmed his status as a future superstar.

Chelsea had hoped to bring Endrick to Stamford Bridge from current club Palmeiras. But they lost out to Real Madrid, where he is heading and will join Bellingham, at the end of this season once he has turned 18.

A golden future surely awaits.

Brazil may not be the glittering collection of superstars of old, but in Endrick they look to have another to add to their list.

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