Doha. Harry Kane with his first goal, world class youth and kept a clean sheet.
In this way, the Round 16 in England feels like a pure dream buffet.
Overall the review looks very good. But does anyone really remember the beginning?
Excuse the sarcasm. Maybe it’s just me, but my mind is still spinning around those opening 35 minutes of African drumbeat mixed with English tension.
Al Bayt Stadium was a troubling mishmash of emotions Sunday night, especially in the first half. In the big moments, Senegal went noticeably better in the final third, putting the Red and White’s entourage into an anxious trance. Many people were seen in the stands with wide eyes and frantic mouths like straight lines.
The Three Lions’ powerful defense was shaking alarmingly. Beads of sweat trickled down central defenders John Stones and Harry Maguire who were under heavy pressure and made an extraordinary number of passes.
Sometimes trebacksline
What looked on paper as a line of four defenders became a line of three back in which left-back Luke Shaw hung while Kyle Walker fell. Walker and Maguire were encouraged into the play-offs in a bid to break a compact Senegal 4-4-2, with spotty results it must be said.
Jordan Henderson made it 1-0 in the 38th minute on a clever, efficient conversion that resulted in sighs of relief rather than convincing cheers. A goal surprisingly extinguished the spark of Senegal, which was not ignited again. Soon it was 2-0, then 3-0 and job done.
Varied attack game
England have players who, with small potential, can make that kind of difference. Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka were given the opportunity from the start on either side of Harry Kane and together they form a varied and feared attacking line, at times impossible to defend against.
The majority of the headlines seem to revolve around Judd Bellingham, who once again demonstrated what a relatively free spin can do to his game. The 19-year-old deserves praise alongside Henderson whose partnership generated the breathing space England needed in their 0-0 run.
The bench and the fact that Gareth Southgate’s men can score in an infinite number of ways are its main strengths. It’s rare that you’ll be able to stream players of the caliber of Marcus Rashford, Jack Grealish and Mason Mount and thus maintain a good group atmosphere.
Raheem Sterling’s need to return to England to support the family was not noticed from a purely sporting perspective. The captain confirmed afterwards that the announcement did not affect his team selection.
Memory can be short
Has anyone forgotten the opening paragraph of the text yet? It wouldn’t be a huge surprise because football often works that way. The memory is short after a 3-0 win in the round of 16, it may seem unnecessary to stir up any trouble.
But there is no escape from what awaits us next. Now it is not Ismaili Sarr or Boulay Dia who will try to run from one side to the other but Kylian Mbappe.
“He’s a good player,” Southgate replied when asked how he felt about facing the best striker in the tournament.
In this way, you can also mitigate an unpleasant fact. Against Poland, Mbappe scored two goals as if football is the easiest game in the world. There is no chance that he or Olivier Giroud could have failed to manage any of the chances Senegal had on Sunday night.
Perhaps the French team gathered in front of the big screen at the Hotel and identified England’s obvious problem area. That said, excuse the negativity in the midst of all the red and white joy. But if Gareth Southgate wants to reach one last final before he quits, it’s a dilemma that needs addressing.