Monday, 25 May 2026
Senegal shock England, piling pressure on Tuchel after home defeat
NOTTINGHAM – England suffered a surprising 3-1 loss to Senegal in a home friendly on Tuesday, intensifying scrutiny on head coach Thomas Tuchel just a year before the World Cup.
Senegal secured their historic win—England’s first ever defeat to African opposition—with goals from Ismaila Sarr, Habib Diarra, and Cheikh Sabaly at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground, following an early opener from Harry Kane, AFP reported.
After Saturday’s lackluster 1-0 World Cup qualifying win against Andorra, Tuchel openly criticized his team’s uninspiring performance. Tasked with leading England to their first major tournament triumph since 1966, the German manager has yet to ignite a talented squad into genuine World Cup contenders, even though this marked only his first loss in four games.
In response, Tuchel made ten changes to his starting lineup, with only Kane keeping his place. The England captain wasted no time, maintaining his streak of scoring in every match since Tuchel’s arrival by netting his 73rd international goal in just the seventh minute. Former Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy could only parry Anthony Gordon’s effort, leaving Kane to tap home the rebound.
With Jordan Pickford benched, Dean Henderson started in goal, delivering notable saves to deny his Crystal Palace teammate Sarr and Idrissa Gana Gueye. However, Henderson was left exposed when poor concentration from Kyle Walker allowed Sarr to finish Nicolas Jackson’s cross and level the match with a well-taken shot into the bottom corner.
Previously unbeaten by African nations in 22 meetings, England struggled against a Senegal side that had only suffered one open-play defeat since losing to the Three Lions at the 2022 World Cup. Diarra was gifted space behind the England defense and slotted calmly between Henderson’s legs to put Senegal ahead shortly after the hour mark.
Mendy atoned for his earlier mistake, producing strong stops to keep out efforts from Bukayo Saka and Morgan Gibbs-White as England pressed for an equalizer.
Late drama ensued when Jude Bellingham hammered the ball home from a corner, but the goal was chalked off for a handball by Levi Colwill in the buildup.
Senegal capitalized on their reprieve in stoppage time, with Sabaly finishing a slick counter-attack to seal a memorable victory.
The final whistle was met with boos from frustrated England fans, leaving Tuchel with major questions to address ahead of the team’s next fixture in September.