“Vicious” England defeats Senegal 3-0 to go to the quarterfinal against France

• England overcomes a slow start to easily win
• England now has 12 goals after strikes from Henderson, Kane, and Saka
• Win secures quarterfinal matchup with holders France

Clinical In spite of a slow start, England easily defeated Senegal 3-0 on Sunday, and thanks to goals from Harry Kane, Jordan Henderson, and Bukayo Saka, they advanced to the World Cup quarterfinals against France.

After taking a while to assert themselves against the African champions—a team they had never faced before—England survived a few close calls before two goals late in the first half altered the atmosphere and made the second half a non-event.

With this stunning win, they are now 21 games—including eight World Cup games—unbeaten against African teams overall. The last remaining African team in the competition is Morocco, who takes against Spain on Tuesday.

Manager Gareth Southgate praised the performance’s “ruthlessness” as great. Every game you play has a unique challenge and a distinct tactical issue to tackle. We have taken the initiative to respond to such inquiries.

“The moves were of exceptional quality, and the finishing was merciless.”

Senegal’s task was always going to be difficult given the absence of injured Cheikhou Kouyate and suspended Idrissa Gueye, both midfielders.

African teams lacked a cutting edge to challenge an England defence that kept a third consecutive World Cup clean sheet for the first time in 20 years because Sadio Mane was out of the competition due to injury.

They were, however, very much involved in the game for the majority of the first half as Senegal had opportunities due to England’s slow and static play and a succession of errant passes.

The greatest of them fell to Boulaye Dia, and only Jordan Pickford’s powerful left arm kept the Africans from grabbing the lead.

brief rest
After 38 minutes, England finally started to move, bursting down the left with the help of Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham, who crossed for the late-arriving Henderson to score the opening goal.

Then, in the final seconds of the first half, Kane put an end to his goalless streak at this tournament.

The eighth goal for England in Qatar was scored by Bellingham, who once more drove from his own area and fed Foden. Foden then slipped the ball into the path of the captain, who unleashed an incredible shot.

Kane also moved one goal closer to Wayne Rooney’s 53-goal national record.

Senegal was completely demoralised by the goals, and after the break, England appeared to be playing with unwavering confidence. The game ceased to feel like a match.

After 57 minutes, Saka, Southgate’s lone change from the group stage victory over Wales, skillfully hoisted in the third after an incisive run and low cross by Foden.

It was England’s 12th goal of the competition, the most of any side in Qatar, and it tied their previous record from when they advanced all the way to the semi-finals four years ago.

Since then, England has maintained composure, avoided receiving any cautions, and appears to have avoided any serious injuries heading into the match against France.

Raheem Sterling’s absence from Sunday’s lineup, which the FA claimed was due to a family matter, appears to be their lone setback.

Next Saturday, they will face a French team that defeated Poland 3-1 earlier in the day, and they are aware that they won’t be able to get away with a similarly sluggish start. However, the holders are also aware that their old enemies have the tools to really hurt them.

Foden, who contributed to all three goals, said: “We all want to participate in the biggest games and there is no greater game than playing France. “When we play at our best, we can make chances and score. We anticipate what will be a significant struggle.

Player of the game Kane was a content man as well. In the tournament, he commented, “We’ve shown wonderful maturity… 3-0 here against a really excellent side.”

We feel well, we have strong defenders, and we have talented players moving forward. A truly positive day for us.

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