England vs. Senegal 3-0: Ultimately, England defeated Senegal 3-0 on Sunday night to quickly advance to the World Cup quarterfinals.
The Three Lions showed how weak they were in the first half, but they got better as Senegal got worse and scored the goal that put them in the last eight against France.
Senegal dominated a shaky England for the first 40 minutes, but they missed some chances and were punished at the end of the first half. That completely took the wind out of their sails, and Gareth Southgate’s team was able to finish the game with ease while the AFCON champions were chasing.
In the first 20 minutes, neither team could settle into a rhythm and take control of the game. The play wasn’t very good, and the nerves were high. Edouard Mendy had to deal with a few crosses from England, and Senegal looked like it could take the lead when the Three Lions were careless with the ball near their own goal.
Senegal had a great chance to score first when Harry Maguire misplaced a pass, but John Stones blocked the first shot, and Jordan Pickford stopped the second. Hearts were in their mouths for a moment as VAR checked to see if the Manchester City player had possibly committed a handball, but the check was over quickly.
Senegal got a second chance to take the lead after England made another mistake. After 30 minutes, Bukayo Saka gave the ball away in his half. Ismaila Sarr then passed the ball to Boulaye Dia, whose shot was stopped by Pickford with a great save.
Ratings for England players (4-3-3), England vs. Senegal 3-0
GK: Jordan Pickford (7/10): Came up with the goods to keep England in the game during the first half.
RB: Kyle Walker (5/10): A worryingly unconvincing performance from a key player for England’s best play. I will have to step it up the next time, given who plays on France’s flank.
CB: John Stones – 5/10 – Even though his midfielders didn’t help him, he was careless with the ball and sometimes didn’t pay attention.
CB: Harry Maguire is also 5/10. Too slow to move on the ball, even though no one in front of him was helping him. This put his team under pressure more than once. Qatar was the place where he was least convincing.
LB: Luke Shaw – 6/10 – Not able to drop bombs past the defense line and test Mendy. A shame.
CM: Jordan Henderson – 8/10 – That’s one way to stop people from saying bad things, Hendo. I jumped into the box and smashed one in. Clutch.
Declan Rice, the center midfielder, got a 6/10. He worked hard in the middle of the field, but he didn’t always do a good job.
CM: Jude Bellingham, 9/10. He put himself in some brilliant spots to start the counter-press and help England get the ball back high up. Great run and a solid pass to help Henderson. He was such an intelligent player.
RW: Bukayo Saka – 6/10 – Poor first half, but made up for it by scoring three goals for England in the second. Really clever way to end.
ST: Harry Kane, 8/10: Form is temporary, but class is forever. Kane shows that the best scorers don’t worry when they don’t score for a while. Tonight, he showed the range of his game.
LW: Phil Foden – 7/10 – He wasn’t always on the field, but he did very well when he was. He pulls players out of position and handles challenges so well.
Gareth Southgate, the manager, got a 6/10. Not perfect by any means, but being perfect doesn’t guarantee trophies. His team was lucky not to fall behind, but most importantly, they responded well and handled the game well in the second half.
Ratings for Senegal players (4-2-3-1), England vs. Senegal 3-0
GK: Edouard Mendy got a 4/10 because he was a big bag of nerves whenever the ball came near him.
Youssouf Sabaly, RB, 4/10. I didn’t know how to close off the space and stop Bellingham from running through it.
CB: Kalidou Koulibaly got a 6/10 because his teammates left him for dead. He couldn’t do much.
CB: Abdou Diallo – 4/10 – England’s attackers were too far away, especially as the game went on.
Ismail Jakobs, LB: 3/10. He couldn’t stop Saka once England got going, and he was often out of position. A performance that was not very sure of itself.
DM: Pathe Ciss got a 4/10 because he was good in the air but didn’t move the ball forward enough when he had it. It was clear why Senegal took him off for the second half when they were already two goals down.
Nampalys Mendy got a 3/10 because Bellingham and Henderson broke him up.
RW: Krepin Diatta (6/10): It was a shame that he was taken off at halftime, but he wasn’t as hardworking as Sarr on the other side.
AM: Iliman Ndiaye got a 5/10 because he drew people to him and made space, but he didn’t have the skill when it mattered. After 45 minutes, it was killed.
LW: Ismaila Sarr – 7/10 – The first half was good. He pressed intelligently and threw critical passes to his teammates.
ST: Boulaye Dia – 6/10 – Very unfortunate not to score in the first half; Pickford made a great save. Like the rest of his team, he grew tired after the break.
Manager Aliou Cisse – 5/10 – Senegal can go home with their heads held high, even though Sadio Mane was their best player. In the first half, the difference was two brilliant saves. Cisse tried to make things different, but it didn’t work.
Jude Bellingham was the game’s best player (England)
