'Proud' southgate hails England's defending

Southgate went with a young team for the game, with Joe Gomez making his first start for the Three Lions in the place of Phil Jones and he was delighted with the spirit shown by his side.

'In terms of heart, resilience and spirit it was up there with anything I have been involved in,' Southgate said post-match.

'Young players digging in, we just couldn't move the ball as well as the other night.

'Tonight we just showed resilience, guts and some really outstanding defending against a top, top side. I am incredibly proud of what the players have done.

'We had the best defensive record in qualifying, we have just played the best two teams in the world and managed to keep two clean sheets, which gives us something to build on.

'We know we need to be better with the ball, I thought we were a bit anxious, but even then when you dig in like we did you get half-chances at the end, which could win you the game. It is a base to work from.'

Gomez also came in for particular praise from the England boss, with the 20-year-old playing a key part in keeping the likes of Neymar, Gabrial Jesus and Philippe Coutinho off the scoresheet.

'I thought all of the defending was outstanding, but him (Gomez) in particular, to come in for a game like that, with little experience, it was a really top, top performance,' Southgate added.

Joe Hart returned to the side in place of Jordan Pickford and the West Ham stopper was every bit as impressed with the players in front of him as his manager.

'We were playing the best team in the world at the moment, I thought they were brilliant,' he said following the draw. 'We had a game-plan to play in the first half and they made that hard for us so we had to adapt on the pitch and we did.

'As much as they had, I thought the back-line were absolutely phenomenal.

'Joe (Gomez), I can't speak highly enough of his performance, he was playing against one of the hottest players and he did well against him.

'It's not a win but it's a good performance. We have played against the best two teams in the world. We didn't win, but we didn't lose.'

Gomez meanwhile was naturally delighted with his first start for England but insisted that any praise be given to the team rather than himself.

'It's a great experience to play at this level, especially against a team like Brazil with all the individuals they have,' he said.

'We are happy with the clean sheet, it was a team effort. The whole team defensively put in a good shift.'