England defeated Senegal 3-0 on Saturday to advance to the World Cup quarterfinals against France. Gareth Southgate’s team struggled to create any sort of rhythm in the opening 30 minutes as a result of their commitment to playing short, which brought on a number of issues for them. The margin of victory actually fairly flattered their performance.
To their credit, England did respond eventually, but only after the outstanding Jude Bellingham had set up Jordan Henderson for the game’s first goal. Goals from Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka followed, and with an hour remaining, England was in a position to start preparing for their major rival later this week. Senegal, meanwhile, would speculate about what may have happened if their intense period of pressure had not been.
Their progressive press allowed them to recapture possession in and around Senegal’s final third several times early on without really putting Edouard Mendy’s goal to the test. Indeed, the African champions took advantage of John Stones and Harry Maguire’s sloppy passing out from the back to seize the early openings.
The former might have given England the slip with a boldly advanced pass, but instead gave Senegal the ball. They moved quickly to the right, crossing for Boulaye Dia to attack John Stones. Ismaila Sarr claimed there had been a handball before his spooning over, but he did so hoping to receive forgiveness for his appalling miss.
Senegal had two solid opportunities before Henderson’s opening goal, so England was fortunate to avoid conceding early on. Sarr earned the first significant opportunity, beating Jordan Pickford to the ball before blazing it over the goalmouth.
After Henderson’s goal, England rediscovered their footing and improved to give a commanding performance in the second half, playing more like a team vying for their first major championship since winning the World Cup in front of their home crowd in 1966.
Both Saka, 21, and Jude Bellingham, 19, had significant contributions throughout the entire game.
Senegal’s remarkable 2022 campaign, which saw them win the Africa Cup of Nations and advance to the round of 16 at the World Cup, came to an end with the outcome.
The following game between England and France will take place on Saturday at Al Bayt Stadium.