England fell to a 3-1 defeat against Senegal in a lively international friendly, with a flurry of second-half goals ensuring a first-ever African win over the Three Lions.
Despite taking an early lead through captain Harry Kane, the England were unable to capitalise on their strong start.
Thomas Tuchel’s much-changed England lineup opened the scoring in the 7th minute, when Kane slotted home from close range following a parried effort by Anthony Gordon.
The goal capped off a bright start for the hosts, who were dominating possession and moving the ball with confidence in the early stages.
Senegal, however, began to grow into the game. Dean Henderson was called into action several times, making key saves from Nicolas Jackson, Ismaila Sarr and Idrissa Gana Gueye.
The pressure paid off in the 40th minute when Sarr pounced on a square ball from Jackson and fired into the bottom corner to level the score at 1-1 before half-time.
Defeat for the #ThreeLions against Senegal in Nottingham. pic.twitter.com/fzMJ6kew2u
— England (@England) June 10, 2025
Both managers rang the changes in the second half. England introduced Jude Bellingham, Noni Madueke and Morgan Gibbs-White in a bid to reclaim control, while Senegal brought on Cheikh Sabaly and Pape Gueye, who would both make crucial contributions.
The turning point came in the 62nd minute. Kalidou Koulibaly threaded a pinpoint through ball into the path of Habib Diarra, who finished from a tight angle past Henderson to give Senegal a 2-1 lead.
The goal rocked England’s rhythm, and although Bellingham briefly thought he had equalised with a header, VAR ruled out the effort for a handball in the build-up.
England continued to push forward, creating chances through Madueke and Bellingham, but they lacked the cutting edge in front of goal.
Substitute Ivan Toney missed a late header wide of the post as frustration mounted.
Senegal sealed the win in stoppage time with a textbook counter-attack. Lamine Camara led the charge and found Sabaly unmarked in the box, and the midfielder calmly slotted into the bottom corner to make it 3-1.
The result will be a concern for England, who looked disjointed in defence and wasteful in attack as the game wore on. And after an underwhelming performance against Andorra a few days earlier, eyebrows are being raised across the national team.
