England players react after the FIFA World Cup 2022 round of 16 soccer match against Senegal at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar, 04 December 2022. Picture: EPA, Noushad Thekkayil
England are through to the quarter-finals of the World Cup following a convincing 3-0 win over Senegal on Sunday.
Next up for the Three Lions is a tough last eight clash against 2018 Champions France. There is no doubt that should Gareth Southgate’s charges succeed in getting the better of Les Bleus, talk about “it going home” will start to intensify.
The following are five things that we learnt from England’s win over Senegal.
Bellingham the main man for England
Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham will be an in demand player after the World Cup. He was again in top form for England as he took up clever positions and provided an excellent assist to Jordan Henderson for England’s opener.
Henderson proves critics wrong
Amidst England’s struggles in the build-up to the World Cup, some felt that Jordan Henderson should not be starting games for the Three Lions. It was good awareness from the Liverpool skipper and combination play with Bellingham that led to England’s opener. After that, the floodgates started to open.
Harry Kane a good contributor to England’s play
The England skipper has only scored one World Cup goal so far and at this rate, looks unlikely to retain the tournament golden boot award that he won in 2018. He is not making reckless passes which shows that he is still in good form and had a good all round game against Senegal.
A poor game for Senegal’s defence
Given that they were minus Sadio Mane, it was vital for Senegal’s defence to particularly play well if they wanted a positive result from this game. That did not happen as Edouard Mendy’s poor form continued. The Chelsea goalkeeper looked to be nervous when the ball came near him.
Bellingham also ran rings around right-back Youssouf Sabaly.
Senegal can leave Qatar with their heads held high
Many expected a difficult tournament for Senegal after Mane was ruled out of the tournament through injury. They ended up surprising many by navigating beyond the group stage in a tough Group A which contained Qatar, Netherlands and Ecuador.
In the end, a last 16 finish is not bad for the Lions of Teranga. They have a solid platform upon which to build and should aim to find a good replacement for Mane during the next World Cup cycle.
@EshlinV
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