Senegal stun England with historic 3-1 win at city ground

NOTTINGHAM, England: Senegal made history on Tuesday by becoming the first African team to defeat England in 22 matches, securing an impressive 3-1 victory in a friendly at Nottingham’s City Ground. The result extended Senegal’s unbeaten run to 24 games and handed new England manager Thomas Tuchel his first loss in charge.

Despite making 10 changes to the side that narrowly beat Andorra, England started brightly, with Harry Kane capitalizing on a rebound in the seventh minute after Edouard Mendy failed to hold onto Anthony Gordon’s shot.

However, the lead didn’t last. Ismaila Sarr equalized just before halftime, sneaking in behind Kyle Walker to tap in Nicolas Jackson’s cross. The Lions of Teranga took control in the second half, with Habib Diarra putting them ahead in the 62nd minute before Cheikh Sabaly sealed the win in stoppage time.

England had a late goal from Jude Bellingham ruled out for handball in the build-up, and the home crowd voiced their displeasure at the final whistle.

“Not good enough,” admitted Kane post-match. “Things aren’t clicking. We’ve lost that aggressive nature we had.”

Tuchel’s side, still adapting to his system and integrating inexperienced players, now faces early questions about their direction. For Senegal, it was another statement performance, reinforcing their status as one of Africa’s strongest footballing nations.