In a surprising turn of events, Senegal defeated England 3-1 in a friendly match at the City Ground in Nottingham on Tuesday. This marked their first victory against England in 22 encounters. Goals from Ismaila Sarr, Habib Diarra, and Cheikh Sabaly secured the win for Senegal.
The loss broke England’s unbeaten streak and was their first under new manager Thomas Tuchel. While Senegal displayed impressive attacking prowess with their three goals, England struggled to maintain control throughout the game.
Senegal extended their own unbeaten run to an impressive 24 games. England’s defeat, which also included a late disallowed goal from Jude Bellingham due to a handball, was their first loss in four matches under Tuchel.
“Not good enough,” admitted captain Harry Kane in a post-match interview. He highlighted a lack of cohesion and aggression within the team.
England initially took the lead in the seventh minute when Kane capitalized on a spilled save from Senegal’s goalkeeper, Edouard Mendy, following a shot from Anthony Gordon. However, Senegal equalized before halftime when Sarr pounced on a lapse in concentration from Kyle Walker to convert Nicolas Jackson’s cross.
Senegal then took the lead in the 62nd minute, with Diarra firing a shot through goalkeeper Dean Henderson’s legs. Sabaly’s late goal in stoppage time sealed the victory, drawing boos from the home crowd.
Kane acknowledged the need for rapid improvement, emphasizing the approaching World Cup. He cited new ideas and inexperienced players as contributing factors but stressed the importance of finding solutions quickly.
Senegal’s attacking threat was evident as they registered nine shots on target compared to England’s four. Henderson was kept busy, notably pushing away an early header from Sarr. Gordon missed a clear opportunity to extend England’s lead in the first half, while Mendy made a crucial late save to deny Bukayo Saka an equalizer.
Tuchel expressed his disappointment with the result, suggesting England might have deserved slightly more. He described the team as “frozen” and lacking activity for much of the match, criticizing the ease with which Senegal scored their first two goals. However, he noted a positive reaction after going behind, with England showing more aggression and creating significant chances to equalize.
