AL KHOR, Qatar. – Clinical England overcame a pedestrian start to surge to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Senegal on Sunday as high-quality goals by Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka swept it into a mouth-watering World Cup quarterfinal clash with France.
England took a long time to impose itself on the African champions, a team it had never faced before, and survived a couple of scares before two goals late in the first half changed the feel of the night and it was no contest after the break.
“The ruthlessness of the performance was excellent,” said manager Gareth Southgate. “Every match you play is a different sort of challenge and different tactical problem to resolve. We’ve stepped up and are answering those questions.
“The quality of the moves was outstanding, and the finishing was ruthless.”
It was always going to be a stiff challenge for Senegal in the absence of the suspended Idrissa Gueye and injured fellow midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate.
With Sadio Mane missing the tournament through injury the Africans also lacked a cutting edge to trouble an England defense that kept a third successive World Cup clean sheet for the first time in 20 years.
They were very much in the game though for much of the first half as England was slow and static and a series of misplaced passes gifted Senegal chances.
The best of them fell to Boulaye Dia and only the strong left arm of keeper Jordan Pickford prevented the Africans taking the lead.
England finally injected some pace after 38 minutes, breaking down the left through Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham, who crossed for the late-arriving in Henderson to stroke home the opener.
Kane’s goal drought at this tournament then came to an end in emphatic style in first-half stoppage time.
Bellingham again drove from his own box and fed Foden, who rolled the ball into the path of the captain to smash in an unstoppable shot and become England’s eighth scorer in Qatar.
It also took Kane to within one goal of Wayne Rooney’s national record of 53.
The goals knocked the stuffing out of Senegal and with England looking full of confidence after the break it no longer felt like a contest.
