- The Teranga Lions played second fiddle for most of the contest
- Senegal's defensive approach failed to yield results
- England were impressive in attack
WHAT HAPPENED: Senegal coach Aliou Cisse opted against his tried and tested 4-3-3, going for a more defensive 4-4-2 in an effort to contain England but it backfired after holding on for over 30 minutes.
Man of the match Jude Bellingham found an unmarked Jordan Henderson in the box and the Liverpool skipper swept home the opener after 38 minutes. Then the Three Lions doubled their advantage on the stroke of half-time when Harry Kane shot past Edouard Mendy after the Borussia Dortmund midfielder had won possession and passed to Phil Foden.
Bukayo Saka put the result beyond doubt 12 minutes after the break when he dinked over Mendy after Foden found him in space in the box.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Senegal struggled in their new shape with captain Kalidou Koulibaly constantly dragged out of position by Kane who played a central role to England’s attacking movements, allowing Henderson and Bellingham to get into advanced positions.
Senegal had a spell of 20 minutes when they should have gone ahead but with Dia missing from close range. It was one-way traffic for England after that.
Senegal exit the tournament at the last 16 round with their hopes of emulating the Class of 2002 going up in smoke.
ALL EYES ON: Ismaila Sarr had been Senegal’s most impressive player in the group stages but he rarely had a sniff on goal as he was closely watched by Kyle Walker.
THE VERDICT: The gulf in class was clear to see as the Teranga Lions dearly missed the experience and quality of injured star man Sadio Mane as well as midfielders Idrissa Gueye and Cheikhou Kouyate who were absent through suspension and injury respectively.
WHAT’S NEXT? Senegal return home as England prepare to face champions France in the quarter-finals.
