Senegal Stuns England: Historic 3-1 Victory Marks Tuchel's First Defeat

Morocco World

11-06-2025

The England national team received a surprising defeat in their fourth match with Thomas Tuchel in a friendly against Senegal 3-1 on Tuesday at The City Ground in Nottingham, making it the first loss to an African team in their history.
Senegal managed to give the African continent the first victory over England. Senegal head coach Aliou Cissé told reporters after the match, 'We came here to prove that African teams can compete and win at the highest level. This is a proud moment for Senegal and Africa.'
Despite the defeat, Tuchel maintained his optimism by saying, 'Maybe we deserved more than that in terms of result … but I felt that we were not energetic enough for a long period of the game.'
England wasted no time, opening the scoring just seven minutes in. Anthony Gordon's initial shot forced a save from Edouard Mendy, but Harry Kane pounced on the rebound to tap it in.
Senegal gradually found their rhythm and responded just before halftime. A lapse in England's defense allowed Nicholas Jackson to set up Ismaila Sarr to score the equalizer.
Early in the second half, England trailed after Habib Diarra shot from a tight angle in the 62nd minute, after a pass from Kalidou Koulibaly.
Despite the substitutions, including the entry of Jude Bellingham for Declan Rice, the score remained the same. England appeared to have found an equalizer in the 84th minute through Bellingham, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
England's hopes for a late equalizer ended as substitute Cheikh Sobally sealed their defeat in stoppage time, striking in the 92nd minute on a counter-attack. The African side avenged their quarter-final loss in the 2022 World Cup.