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England faced boos from home fans after a 3-1 defeat to Senegal in a friendly match on Tuesday. This marked the first loss under new head coach Thomas Tuchel, who had previously led the team to three straight wins.
Despite starting strong with an early goal from captain Harry Kane, England struggled for the rest of the match. Kane’s goal, his record-extending 73rd for the national team, came in the seventh minute after Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy failed to hold onto the ball. But Senegal responded quickly and took control.
Senegal became the first African team in history to defeat England. Their first goal came in the 40th minute when Nicolas Jackson chased a long ball and passed it back for Ismaila Sarr to finish, beating defender Kyle Walker for pace.
The second goal was less straightforward. A long ball reached Habib Diarra, who looked to be passing, but the ball bounced off England goalkeeper Dean Henderson and into the net. England thought they had leveled the match late in the game when Jude Bellingham scored from a corner. However, the goal was ruled out due to a handball by Levi Colwill earlier in the play.
Senegal sealed the win in stoppage time with a counterattack, finished calmly by Cheikh Sabaly to make it 3-1.
After the game, Tuchel admitted his team needs to improve. “It’s a tough lesson, and we hate to lose,” he said. “We go into a long break with a bad feeling.”
Kane echoed those thoughts. “We’re not going to panic, but we know we need to do better,” he told ITV. He pointed out that England had lost some of the aggressive edge that helped them in previous matches. Speaking to Sky Sports, Kane added that the team must show more urgency, especially with the World Cup approaching. “We want to get it right by September when the season restarts,” he said.
Tuchel had made several changes to the starting lineup, keeping only Kane from the team that beat Andorra 1-0 the week before. He had criticized his players’ attitude after that game, but Tuesday’s performance showed little improvement.
Other International Results
In World Cup qualifying matches on the same day, the Netherlands crushed Malta 8-0. Memphis Depay scored twice to equal the all-time scoring record for the Dutch men’s national team. His goals in the ninth and 16th minutes brought his total to 50, matching Robin van Persie’s record. Depay reached the milestone in his 102nd match; van Persie needed 101.
Elsewhere, Finland defeated Poland 2-1 in a game that was delayed due to a medical emergency in the stands. Poland was without star striker Robert Lewandowski, who recently said he won’t play under current coach Michal Probierz. The coach had stripped Lewandowski of the captaincy, leading to tensions.
The result saw Finland go top of Group G in World Cup qualifying, just one point ahead of the Netherlands, though Finland has played two more matches. Poland, previously in first place, dropped to third.
In other European qualifiers:
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Austria beat San Marino 4-0.
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Romania won 2-0 against Cyprus.
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Serbia defeated Andorra 3-0.
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Latvia and Albania drew 1-1.
These matches are part of the race to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Group winners qualify automatically, while second-place teams move on to playoffs.
The defeat to Senegal was a wake-up call for England, who now face questions about their readiness for tougher challenges ahead