"From a dismal defeat to Andorra to a historic loss against Senegal."
England dominated the early stages of a friendly match against Senegal on Nov. 11 (Korea time) at the City Ground in Nottingham, England, with a breakthrough goal from Harry Kane. However, they conceded three goals to Senegal, resulting in a 1-3 comeback defeat. With this loss, England's unbeaten record of 15 wins and 6 draws against African teams came to an end after 22 matches. This was also the first time England conceded three goals in a match against an African team.
England held a 60.7%-39.3% advantage in possession, but they were outshot 8 (4 on target) to Senegal's 11 (9 on target), failing to control the game. Ranked 4th by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), England employed a 4-4-2 formation against 19th-ranked Senegal. Up front, Kane (Bayern Munich) and Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace) formed a two-striker partnership, while Anthony Gordon (Newcastle) and Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) operated as wide attacking players.
Thomas Tuchel, who leads England, made a bold move of substituting all but one player from his best eleven by leaving Kane out after returning from a 1-0 victory over Andorra on Nov. 8. However, this decision turned out to be a blunder. England suffered their first defeat on this day after a streak of three consecutive wins since Tuchel's appointment.
The atmosphere was promising early in the game. In the 7th minute of the first half, after pressing strongly in the opponent's Jin Young, Gordon seized the ball and fired a right-footed shot from the left side of the penalty area that deflected off the goalkeeper. Kane rushed in to slot the ball home with his left foot, recording the opening goal.
However, Senegal equalized in the 40th minute of the first half when Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea) delivered a cutback that Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace) finished with a right-footed shot. Senegal then took the lead in the 62nd minute when Habib Diallo (Strasbourg) received a long pass from the back and shook the England net with a right-footed shot that went through the goalkeeper's legs.
In the 84th minute, Jude Bellingham's (Real Madrid) goal was disallowed after a video review due to a handball by Levi Colwill (Chelsea), costing England an opportunity to level the score. In stoppage time, Senegal's Sheikh Sabali (Metz) scored an additional goal during a counterattack, sealing the game. The match concluded with Senegal's 3-1 victory.
Following England's defeat, criticism toward manager Thomas Tuchel emerged. He struggled to secure a 1-0 victory against bottom-placed Andorra and then faced defeat against Senegal, amplifying the criticism. Immediately after the loss, Tuchel noted, "The positive atmosphere from my coaching debut has dissipated. I expressed dissatisfaction along the touchline throughout the match."
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