Boos rang out as England departed the field after suffering a 3-1 defeat to Senegal in a friendly match on Tuesday, marking the first loss for coach Thomas Tuchel.
Senegal managed to bounce back from an early goal by Harry Kane to become the first African team to triumph over England.
“We’re not going to panic. But, for sure, we know we need to do better,” said Kane during an interview with ITV, reflecting on England’s loss of the assertiveness they had shown previously.
In another World Cup qualifying match, the Netherlands defeated Malta 8-0 and Austria beat San Marino 4-0.
England’s Noteworthy Loss
Kane was the sole player retained in Tuchel’s starting lineup following last week’s 1-0 victory over Andorra, prompting Tuchel to voice concerns over his team’s attitude; however, the lineup changes yielded little improvement.
Kane’s record-extending 73rd England goal put his team ahead in the seventh minute after he capitalised on a goalkeeping blunder by Edouard Mendy.
Senegal exhibited a more sophisticated play than Tuchel’s previous opponents - Albania, Latvia, and Andorra - and England conceded their first goal under Tuchel in the 40th minute.
Nicolas Jackson sprinted to meet a long pass, setting up Ismaila Sarr for Senegal’s equaliser.
England lost, 3-1. (Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Senegal’s second goal occurred when a long ball found Habib Diarra, whose pass attempt inadvertently deflected off goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
Jude Bellingham appeared to have equalised for England in the 84th minute with a corner goal, but it was disallowed due to an earlier handball by Levi Colwill. Senegal sealed the match 3-1 when Cheikh Sabaly scored during stoppage time.
Depay Equates Dutch Record
Memphis Depay matched the scoring record for the Netherlands men’s national team, netting two goals during their commanding victory over Malta.
Depay obtained his 49th and 50th goals in just 102 matches, tying the record previously set by Robin van Persie who reached the milestone in his 101st match back in 2015.
In other European World Cup qualifying matches on that day, Romania defeated Cyprus 2-0, Serbia won against Andorra 3-0, and Latvia drew 1-1 with Albania. Meanwhile, Finland faced a medical emergency during their match versus Poland while leading 2-1, but the match resumed later.
