ON a balmy June evening at Nottingham’s City Ground, Senegal’s Teranga Lions made history, roaring past England with a 3-1 victory that will echo through African football for generations. This was not just a win; it was a seismic moment – the first time in 22 attempts that an African nation had conquered the Three Lions.
England, under new manager Thomas Tuchel, started brightly. In the seventh minute, captain Harry Kane pounced on a spilled save from Édouard Mendy to notch his 73rd international goal, giving the hosts an early lead and sending the home crowd into raucous applause. But that would be England’s only moment of joy.
Senegal, undeterred and brimming with belief, began to assert themselves. Their equaliser came just before halftime, as Ismaïla Sarr capitalized on a lapse from Kyle Walker to slot home Nicolas Jackson’s cross, silencing the City Ground and shifting the momentum. The Senegalese bench erupted, sensing the possibility of something special.
After the break, Senegal’s confidence blossomed. In the 62nd minute, Habib Diarra found space on the right, darted away from Morgan Gibbs-White, and fired a shot through Dean Henderson’s legs to put the visitors ahead. England, rattled, pushed forward but found Mendy in inspired form, denying both Gibbs-White and Bukayo Saka.
England thought they had equalized late on when substitute Jude Bellingham found the net, only for VAR to rule out the goal due to a handball in the buildup by Levi Colwill – a decision that drew groans from the home fans. Then, deep into stoppage time, Senegal delivered the coup de grâce: a swift counter-attack saw Cheikh Sabaly finish calmly, sealing the 3-1 win and sending the Senegalese supporters into jubilation.
Senegal’s captain Kalidou Koulibaly was jubilant, comparing the triumph to their 2022 Africa Cup of Nations victory. “We believed we could achieve something special in this match. It’s remarkable. We aren’t accustomed to creating history, but we did so when we won Afcon, and we accomplished it again tonight,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
For England, the defeat was sobering. It snapped a 22-match unbeaten run against African opposition and intensified scrutiny on Tuchel, who had made wholesale changes to his lineup after a lackluster win over Andorra.
Senegal’s victory is more than just a friendly result. It’s a symbol of the rising power of African football, joining the ranks of Cameroon’s 1990 World Cup shock over Argentina and Morocco’s 2022 World Cup heroics. For Senegal, already former African champions and World Cup giant-killers, this win on English soil is another bold chapter in their growing legacy.
As the final whistle blew and the City Ground emptied to the sound of Senegalese celebrations, it was clear: history had been made, and the world had witnessed the dawn of a new era for African football.
