NOTTINGHAM, England (AP) — Booths echoed as England departed the field following a 3-1 defeat to Senegal in a friendly match on Tuesday, marking Thomas Tuchel’s first loss as coach.
Senegal has rebounded from being the first African squad to secure a win against England, despite Harry Kane’s early goals.
“We won’t panic, but we know improvements are necessary,” stated England’s captain Kane to ITV, implying that the team has lost the “aggressive edge we once had.”
In Tuesday’s World Cup qualifiers, the Netherlands overwhelmed Malta with an 8-0 score, while Finland edged out Poland 2-1 after a lengthy delay due to a medical emergency.
Significant Losses for England
Kane remains the sole player from Tuchel’s starting lineup since last week’s 1-0 win over Andorra, facing criticism regarding the team’s mindset. This adjustment yielded minimal improvement.
Kane’s record-setting 73rd goal for England put his team ahead just seven minutes in, capitalizing on a mistake by goalkeeper Eduard Mendy.
Senegal then advanced beyond Tuchel’s previous opponents: Albania, Latvia, and Andorra, marking their presence firmly in the match.
Nicholas Jackson pursued a long ball, outpacing Kyle Walker to score.
Senegal’s second goal stemmed from a long pass to Habib Diara, who appeared to pass to himself as the ball deflected off goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
Jude Bellingham believed he had equalized for England with a corner goal in the 84th minute, only for it to be disallowed due to a prior handball by Levi Colwill. Senegal sealed the win at 3-1 when Check Savary finished a counterattack just before halftime.
“We’re not satisfied with the result. We had a significant opportunity to equalize,” Tuchel said at the post-match press conference.
“This is a learning experience, and it’s difficult because we despise losing, but it’s part of the game,” he added. “Losing, especially when it feels bad, sends us into a long break. This isn’t ideal and not what we aimed for.”
Kane urged the team to display greater urgency.
“We need to push through September,” he remarked. “As the new season kicks off, we need to be ready as the World Cup approaches.”
DePay Matches Dutch Records
Memphis DePay equaled the Dutch men’s national team scoring record by netting two goals in their 8-0 victory over Malta.
DePay scored in the 9th and 16th minutes, achieving his 49th and 50th goals, matching the record set by Robin van Persie. DePay reached his milestone in 102 matches, whereas Van Persie’s came during his 101st match in 2015.
Poland Struggles Without Lewandowski
The match against Finland was momentarily halted due to a medical emergency in the stands while Finland led 2-1. The game resumed, ultimately leading to Finland’s victory.
This was Poland’s first match after star player Robert Lewandowski announced he would not play for the national team under manager Mikal Probiels, who had stripped him of the captaincy.
Lewandowski was unavailable for the Finland match, following a prior decision to prepare for the friendly against Moldova.
Finland currently leads Group G ahead of the Netherlands, despite playing two more matches. Poland fell from first to third place. The top teams in each group will automatically qualify for next year’s World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico, while the second-placed teams will enter the playoffs.
In other European World Cup qualifiers on Tuesday, Austria triumphed over San Marino 4-0, Romania secured a 2-0 win against Cyprus, Serbia defeated Andorra 3-0, and Latvia drew 1-1 with Albania.
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Source: apnews.com