Senegal Make History with 3-1 Victory Over England at the City Ground

Senegal became the first African nation to defeat England in 22 meetings, securing a historic 3-1 triumph in an international friendly at the City Ground on Tuesday evening. Goals from Ismaïla Sarr, Habib Diarra and Cheikh Sabaly handed the visitors a memorable win, while extending their own unbeaten run to 24 matches.

For England, the result marked their first defeat in four outings under newly appointed manager Thomas Tuchel. Despite an early lead from Harry Kane, the Three Lions were ultimately outclassed by a well-organised and clinical Senegalese side.

“It wasn’t good enough,” England captain Kane admitted in an interview with ITV. “We had moments, but with and without the ball things just aren't clicking. We're not finding the right tempo. We've lost that aggressive nature we once had.”

The hosts made ten changes to the side that narrowly defeated Andorra 1-0 in World Cup qualifying at the weekend, and initially appeared to have found their rhythm when Kane opened the scoring in the seventh minute. The striker reacted quickly after Senegal goalkeeper Édouard Mendy spilled a low effort from Anthony Gordon directly into his path.

However, England’s defensive frailties were exposed in the 40th minute when Sarr capitalised on a lapse in concentration from Kyle Walker to prod home Nicolas Jackson’s cross – marking the first goal conceded by England under Tuchel’s leadership.

Senegal doubled their advantage in the 62nd minute. Diarra latched onto a lofted through ball and calmly slotted between Dean Henderson’s legs to make it 2-1. Sabaly added a third deep into stoppage time, prompting audible frustration and boos from the home supporters at the final whistle.

Despite a disallowed late goal for Jude Bellingham – chalked off for a handball in the build-up – England failed to mount a serious comeback. They were outshot on target, with Senegal registering nine attempts compared to England’s four. The African champions had started strongly, with Sarr forcing a smart early save from Henderson via a powerful header.

Gordon had the opportunity to double England’s lead in the first half but miscued his finish from close range after a well-placed cross by Walker. Meanwhile, Mendy made an excellent save in the closing stages to deny Bukayo Saka what would have been a late equaliser.

Reflecting on the defeat, Tuchel acknowledged the need for improvement. “It’s a disappointing result. Perhaps we deserved slightly more in terms of the scoreline,” he said. “But we felt a bit frozen, not active enough for large parts of the match.

“We conceded two very soft goals that we should have defended far better. The reaction after going behind was positive — more energy, more fluidity, more aggression in our approach — and we created big chances to draw level. But ultimately, we have to be better.”

Kane added, “We’re not going to panic, but we’re aware we need to improve. There are new ideas, new players coming in who lack international experience. It’s a mixture of things — but no excuses. We need to find our rhythm quickly, with the World Cup fast approaching. Every camp is now vital.”