England recovered from a sluggish opening 35 minutes to beat Senegal 3-0 and book their spot in the World Cup quarter-finals.
Goals from Jordan Henderson and Harry Kane in the final minutes of the first half were followed up by one from Bukayo Saka just before the hour mark to seal the victory. England now moves on to play France in the quarter-finals on Saturday, Dec. 10.
Expected goals (xG): England 1.51, Senegal 1.45
Man of the Match: Jude Bellingham, England
With every passing game, this is starting to feel more and more like Jude Bellingham’s World Cup. Time and time again, he has come up big right when England has needed him, and Sunday’s win was no different.
Against Senegal, he had an assist for the opening goal, completed two dribbles, won two fouls, completed both of the line-breaking passes he attempted (including one breaking the defensive line), was on the receiving end of six line-breaking passes and completed 88.7% of his passes.
It was a truly magnificent performance from the breakout star of the tournament.
Best Passer: Harry Kane, England
What has been true in this tournament, despite finding the net in this game, is that Harry Kane is so much more than just a goalscorer. Against Senegal, he completed 18-of-25 pass attempts, but it was the type of passes he was playing that makes him the top passer in this game. Kane completed six of the eight line-breaking passes he attempted, including three that broke the defensive line, and also had a key pass that resulted in a shot on goal.
Best Challenger: Harry Maguire, England
The quarter-final against France will be a tough test for Maguire, but with the exception of one mistake against Iran in the opening game, he has had a pretty impressive World Cup so far.
He was dominant on challenges again against Senegal, winning eight of the 11 he contested. That included winning four of the seven aerial duels he was involved in and winning all four tackles he attempted.
Goalkeepers
England’s Jordan Pickford didn’t have too much to do in this game but delivered when called upon, saving the only shot on target he faced in the game.
Senegal’s Edouard Mendy faced four shots on target and saved just one, with none of England's three goals deemed unsaveable by our graders.
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