Three goals, boos and fleeing fans: coach Thomas Tuchel has conceded his first defeat with the English national football team – and has a lot of work on his new mission a year before the World Cup.
In the test against Senegal, the Three Lions lost 1: 3 (1: 1) on Tuesday, and in the fourth game under Tuchel they went off the pitch for the first time as a loser. Just three days earlier, however, the Vice European Champion had already tried a 1-0 against the stark outsider Andorra.
Goal scorer Kane: “This is not good enough”
In Nottingham it was again Bayern striker Harry Kane (7th) who put the English in the lead. Ismaila Sarr (40th), Habib Diarra (62nd) and Cheikh Tidiane Sabaly (90.+3) ensured the deserved test game victory Senegals – who has no result in terms of sport, but should raise questions in England. The interim compensation (84th) of the substitute Jew Bellingham rightly did not count due to a handball. “This is not good enough”, said Kane after the game: “We had our moments, but overall things don’t work together with and without a ball. We don’t find the right pace and we have lost our aggressive basic setting.”
At the latest after the third goal, the fans of their disappointment audibly air, many left the stadium before the final whistle. Even after the disappointing appearance against Andorra, the English press and Tuchel had not saved criticism. Against the more dangerous opponents from Africa, England now started, pressed high and successful, in this way forced the early lead through Kane.
First goal under Tuchel
While the hosts seemed more and more passive in the course of the first half, Senegal achieved a number of good chances. The hits then exposed some defensive weaknesses in Tuchel’s team. It was also the first goals under Tuchel: his team had not shone in the World Cup qualification, but victories against Latvia (3-0), Albania (2-0) and Andorra. England is therefore a clear leader of the European Group K. Fourth opponent in the World Cup qualification is Serbia.