England suffered a shocking 3-1 home defeat to Senegal in an international friendly on Tuesday night, ramping up the pressure on manager Thomas Tuchel one year ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Goals from Ismaila Sarr, Habib Diarra, and Cheikh Sabaly handed the Three Lions their first-ever loss to African opposition in 22 matches. The upset marked Tuchel’s first defeat in four games since taking charge.
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England had started brightly, with captain Harry Kane giving the hosts a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute, his 73rd international goal, after pouncing on a rebound from Anthony Gordon’s shot.
But former Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy redeemed himself after his early error, producing key saves as Senegal seized control.
Sarr equalised midway through the first half, exploiting slack defending from Kyle Walker to convert Nicolas Jackson’s cross.
Despite impressive saves from Dean Henderson, Senegal pulled ahead after the break when Diarra capitalised on a lapse in England’s defence to slot home.
England thought they had levelled when Jude Bellingham smashed in a loose ball from a corner, but the goal was ruled out due to a handball by Levi Colwill in the build-up.
Senegal sealed the upset deep into stoppage time as Sabaly finished off a lightning counterattack, triggering boos from the home crowd.
“We’re not finding the right tempo. We’ve lost that aggressive nature we had,” said Kane in a post-match. “Not good enough.”
Tuchel, who made 10 changes from the side that laboured to a 1-0 win over Andorra in World Cup qualifying, kept only Kane in the starting XI and admitted the display fell short.
England return to action in September, with Tuchel now under pressure to rediscover form and cohesion ahead of a crucial World Cup year.
