Darren Bent Laments Lack Of Service During England's Loss To Brazil

Sunderland striker Darren Bent was experiencing mixed emotions following England's 1-0 loss to Brazil in Qatar on Saturday. The front-man, currently third in the Premier League goal-scoring charts, bemoaned the lack of service, but said he was thrilled with the opportunity to showcase his skills on the international arena.

"I enjoyed it," Bent explained in The Sun. "I would have liked to have got more service but it's always a spectacle playing against Brazil and I loved every minute of it.

"The manager spoke to me before the game and when I came off and I think I did what was asked of me.

"I will take the positives from this game and from my Sunderland form, take that forward and, hopefully, be available again for selection. I can't go back to Sunderland and stop scoring and let my form drop because I won't get selected for any of the friendlies.

"The Brazilians are fantastic and we knew what we were going to get from them. The main thing is we learn from that and we take it to the next friendly," he said.

"It's been about four years since I last started an England game. So I was surprised but also delighted - and, hopefully, there will be a few more of them.

"There are a lot of top-quality strikers in England and I have to keep my scoring rate high and then I will give myself every possibility of going to South Africa.

"I must have a chance and there are chances for strikers."

Alan Dawson