Darren Bent: England goal was huge confidence boost
Sunderland striker Darren Bent attributes his strong run of form to the boost in confidence he received from scoring his first goal for the England national team.
The 26-year-old forward netted his fifth goal in six games for the Black Cats this season, striking a late equaliser in the fifth minute of injury time in a 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Saturday, when the sides met in the English Premier League.
That rich vein of form is something Bent has attributed to breaking his scoring duck at international level at the seventh time of asking. The strike came in the 3-1 win over Switzerland in a UEFA 2012 European Football Championship qualifying match.
He told reporters today that, “It was like a weight taken off my shoulders. I didn't want to be a player remembered for playing for their country, but not getting a goal. I'm getting better season by season, I've become more experienced than when I first
came into this league and it's given me confidence.”
Bent’s goal on Saturday cancelled out Arsenal captain Francesc Fabregas’ 13th-minute opener. The draw means that Sunderland remains unbeaten at the Stadium of Light in the EPL so far in this campaign, and Bent believes that the point is no less than Steve
Bruce’s men deserved.
He said that, “We played really well and made some good chances. The one that springs to mind was the opportunity that fell to Cristian Riveros, when he headed, when he should have volleyed. But late goals happen, and we definitely deserved it, especially
down to our first half performance. We didn't sit back like a lot of teams do against the big boys. We went and had a go, and we got our rewards in the end.”
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