‘We made history’ – Senegal first African side to beat England
Senegal became the first African team to beat England in 22 games on Tuesday, winning 3-1 in a friendly at the City Ground thanks to goals from Ismaila Sarr, Habib Diarra and Cheikh Sabaly. Senegal stretched their unbeaten streak to 24 games, while England’s loss, which included a disallowed late goal from Jude Bellingham for […]
Senegal became the first African team to beat England in 22 games on Tuesday, winning 3-1 in a friendly at the City Ground thanks to goals from Ismaila Sarr, Habib Diarra and Cheikh Sabaly.
Senegal stretched their unbeaten streak to 24 games, while England’s loss, which included a disallowed late goal from Jude Bellingham for a handball in the build-up, was their first defeat in four games under new manager Thomas Tuchel.
Ismaila Sarr and Habib Diarra earlier turned the tide in the favor of the visitors, after Harry Kane gave Thomas Tuchel’s side an early lead in the friendly.
“Fantastic night. We knew we could do something in this game,” Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“It was a tough game, but we showed our personality and showed we can play at this level.” Koulibaly related the win to Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations victory in 2022. “It is fantastic. We are not used to making history and we made it when we won Afcon, and we made it tonight,” he said.
“We want to continue writing the story of Senegal. We wanted to show we have a good nation.” Senegal have not lost a game since January 2024, when as defending champions they were beaten on penalties by Ivory Coast at the Afcon last-16 stage.
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