Darren Bent keeps stalled World Cup dream alive

Simon Johnson
16.11.09

Darren Bent has admitted he failed to impress against Brazil but is refusing to give up on his dream of representing England in the World Cup next summer.

Bent played just 54 minutes in the 1-0 defeat in Doha before he was replaced by Jermain Defoe. The striker barely touched the ball and his only effort toward goal was a tame header that went wide in the first half.

The 25-year-old, who has scored eight times for Sunderland this season, said: "The main thing is to take the positives from this game, move on to my club form and keep that going. If I keep doing well for them I'll be there or thereabouts for selection.

"Playing against Brazil looks good on my CV and my dad drummed that into me. I loved every minute of it. I know I had limited supply and couldn't assert myself as much as I wanted to, but I was still delighted to be on the pitch."

Brazil star Kaka believes England can't use injuries as an excuse for their defeat and feels his side are well on course to win the World Cup next summer.

The Brazilians dominated the match from start to finish and would have won by more if Luis Fabiano hadn't sent a penalty over the bar, while Lucio also saw a shot hit the post.

But Kaka said: "This showed that our team is very good. England are one of the biggest teams in the world. Yes it was not England's strongest team, but Brazil also had a lot of injured players missing."