Brazil dominate but Neymar & Co are foiled by England’s stifling defence

England stifled superior opponents for the second time in under a week as Brazil followed Germany in settling for a Wembley stalemate.

If two 0-0 draws in five days represents a slow start, it might easily have been worse given the calibre of the opposition. Brazil arrived at full strength and with a formidable run of form behind them. But while they dominated possession, their vaunted front three of Neymar, Philippe Coutinho and Gabriel Jesus laboured without reward.

Liverpool’s Dominic Solanke had a late chance to end England’s 2017 calendar with a stunning debut winner, and it was also a night when Joe Hart, Joe Gomez and Kyle Walker earned plenty of credit for keeping a clean sheet under pressure.

Brazil dominated the ball throughout the first half, rolling it across the field and probing for gaps without ever fully asserting themselves.

There were flashes of brilliance by Neymar, the world’s most expensive player, pictured, nutmegging Jake Livermore almost as an afterthought and piercing the defence with an outside-of-the-boot chip that lost none of its charm when its recipient, Jesus, was flagged offside.

But there were also a couple of wayward punts into the stand and an occasional wander into dead ends.

Neither goalkeeper was overworked, Hart keeping out a Jesus header and Alisson fully behind a Marcus Rashford drive. England’s best counter-attack failed even to yield a shot, Jamie Vardy heading Ryan Bertrand’s cross back towards Rashford, who could not find a shooting angle. Brazil nudged the accelerator at the start of the second half, Neymar and Jesus carving a chance for Coutinho, whose swept shot was closed down well by Hart.

As the game entered its final 15 minutes a winner suddenly appeared imminent. First Fernandinho burst forward from midfield and sent a searing drive just wide, then Dier bent an inviting free-kick around wall and post.

With seconds remaining, the prospect of a home win fleetingly reared its head. Ashley Young bent a teasing cross to the far post and when the ball broke to substitute Solanke he could not quite muster a finish from close range.