England faced their first loss under head coach Thomas Tuchel as Senegal claimed a stunning 3-1 win during an international friendly on Tuesday, marking a historic first-ever victory by an African team over England. The loss, met with boos from disappointed fans at the final whistle, underscored a shaky performance by the Three Lions.
Despite an early lead through Harry Kane, who capitalized on a mistake by goalkeeper Edouard Mendy in the 7th minute to net his 73rd international goal, England struggled to maintain control. Tuchel, who had made significant changes to the starting eleven from last week’s 1-0 win over Andorra, retained only Kane. However, the revised lineup failed to deliver a convincing performance.
Senegal leveled the score in the 40th minute, when Nicolas Jackson chased a long ball and set up Ismaila Sarr, who sprinted past Kyle Walker to slot the ball into the net. The African champions then took the lead through a bizarre own goal, as Habib Diarra’s deflected pass ricocheted off goalkeeper Dean Henderson’s leg and crossed the line.
Jude Bellingham appeared to bring England back into the match in the 84th minute with a header from a corner, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR check for a handball by Levi Colwill. Senegal sealed their triumph in stoppage time as Cheikh Sabaly finished off a clinical counterattack to make it 3-1.
Elsewhere in Tuesday’s World Cup qualifiers, the Netherlands dominated Malta with an 8-0 win. Memphis Depay matched Robin van Persie’s national scoring record by netting his 49th and 50th goals in the 9th and 16th minutes respectively. Austria cruised past San Marino 4-0, Romania beat Cyprus 2-0, and Serbia secured a 3-0 win over Andorra. Latvia held Albania to a 1-1 draw.
Finland’s clash with Poland was halted due to a medical emergency, with Finland leading 2-1 at the time of suspension.
This defeat raises questions about England’s readiness under Tuchel’s management ahead of future international competitions.