FIFA World Cup: England make light work of Senegal to show they are ready for France

The Al Bayat Stadium in Qatar turned into a mini Wembley on Sunday night (early Monday morning in India) as the crowd and DJ started belting out Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline. It was a sign good enough of England’s successful triumph over the Senegal challenge on the night. In fact, it was a comprehensive 3-0 win for Harry Kane and Co as they marched into the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup. FIFA World Cup:  Fixtures  |  Results  |  Squads  |  Records Defending champions France await them in the last eight stage but England and coach Gareth Southgate would be extremely proud of their performance against Senegal, and that should give them the required confidence to take Kylian Mbappe and Co head-on.

Shaky start, strong finish It wasn’t all smooth sailing for England against Senegal but here’s why they deserve the credit; for bouncing back immediately to close out the match convincingly. The African nation was the best side for the first 38 minutes before England secured a goal against the run of play. Coach Aliou Cisse’s strategy to make his team sit back, close down the spaces and thwart every England attempt to pass through defensive lines had the European side failing to get a grip on the game. In the 21st minute, Ismaila Sarr had a glorious opportunity after putting the English defence under pressure but the shot went blazing over. In the 31st minute, Sarr pounced on a loose ball from Bukayo Saka to allow Boulaye Dia a shot that was saved by the outstretched right arm of Jordan Pickford. That was to be the end of Senegal’s fun on the night. England immediately turned a corner with Harry Kane dropping deep to collect a lay-off, forcing a defender to follow him and in return creating space in Senegal’s defence line. Jude Bellingham ran through the empty space after Kane played a through ball and later cut it back for Jordan Henderson to score the opener. An exquisite team goal in which all England mechanicals came together to result in a smooth-function goal-scoring machine. And so the procession began.

Soon after, Saka found Kane in the box with a cutback but he shot over. In the injury time of the first half, a well-crafted counterattack had Bellingham find Phil Foden on the left flank as the attacker played a sideway cross for Kane to find his first goal of the 2022 edition. Phoden was at it again in the second half. A sprint on the left side produced a cross for Saka in the box who chipped it over Edouard Mendy to make it 3-0 by the 57th minute for England and kill the game. So much happened for England that they basically ambled through the second half. Senegal lost their confidence and instinct. “We have worked for years to be the best in Africa but we were facing one of the top five teams in the world and we saw the difference tonight,” Senegal coach Cisse said after the match. Bullish Bellingham At the heart of England’s revival and the compelling win was 19-year-old midfielder Bellingham. When England were facing the Senegal onslaught, it was Borussia Dortmund midfielder’s moments of brilliance that changed the course of the game. His positioning was perfect when Kane opened up the gap in Senegal’s defence. Bellingham was quick to progress into the final third to allow Henderson to score.

The second goal as well was very much a result of his 40-yard run which took the wind out of Senegal’s sails. As someone who can sit back and defend and can also venture forward and create scoring opportunities, teenager Bellingham is proving to be the complete midfielder. France challenge Defence remains a worry for Southgate’s side. Though they kept a clean sheet against Senegal, one can’t ignore the fact that the African side had 10 attempts. In Mbappe, Olivier Giroud, Antoine Griezmann and Ousmane Dembele, France have a plethora of world-class attackers. It’s through this defence vs attack battle that the result will be decided. But with how England’s attackers dazzled against Senegal, we know that they are up for the challenge even if defence doesn’t deliver. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News ,  India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .