World Cup: England prepare to face Senegal on eve of last-16 tie
England face Senegal in a World Cup last-16 clash tonight in Qatar. After finishing top of Group B to qualify for the knockout stages, England’s bid to win the World Cup starts to get serious with a place in the quarter-finals on the line. England had to endure penalties as they beat Colombia at this stage in Russia four years ago, and Gareth Southgate will be hoping there is less tension tonight against Senegal.
In what has been a wildly unpredictable World Cup so far, England’s path to the last 16 was rather more serene than some of the other tournament contenders. Despite the boos that followed the goalless draw with the USA, England thrashed both Iran and Wales and finished the group stage as the tournament’s top scorers. Marcus Rashford’s double against Wales had given Southgate a selection headache, but Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden were instead preferred with Raheem Sterling unavailable for selection and dealing with a family matter.
This is England’s first meeting with Senegal, who remain a threat despite the absence of injured star Sadio Mane. Senegal are the champions of Africa and reached the last 16 by defeating Ecuador in a crunch clash in Group A. Aliou Cisse’s side are experienced and know how to deliver on the big stage, while the Lions of Teranga will be motivated by the chance to become the first African team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals for the second time.
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England vs Senegal
Senegal have reached the knockout stage of the World Cup for the second time, previously doing so in their first appearance in 2002 (quarter-final).
Courtesy of beating Qatar and Ecuador in the group stages, Senegal have won consecutive World Cup matches for the first time.
Will they make it three from three?
England ‘mentally and physically’ prepared for penalties, Gareth Southgate insists
The national team’s penalty problems down the years are well documented, with all three World Cup shoot-outs ending in defeat before a success at the expense of Colombia in Russia four years ago.
England followed that by winning bronze on spot-kicks at the Nations League finals against Switzerland in 2019, only for penalties to prove their undoing in last year’s European Championship final.
England have had penalty problems in World Cups before
John Stones speaking to ITV
England defender John Stones’ pre-match thoughts: “We’ve seen how important everyone has been coming off the bench or starting.
“We’ve got great attackers so whoever starts, hopefully they can bring that to the game.
“The counter attack is a challenge from Senegal. They are a very organised and athletic team, from what we have seen. We’ve got to be disciplined for the 90 or 120 minutes, whatever it may be and keep the ball high up the pitch.”
England vs Senegal
African nations have lost eight of their nine World Cup knockout round games against European sides, with the exception being Senegal’s 2-1 win over Sweden in the round of 16 in 2002.
However, in all competitions, England have never lost against an African side in their history with 14 wins and six draws.
Pre-match thoughts of Gareth Southgate
England boss Gareth Southgate spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live in the build-up to today’s match saying: “We are two tournaments on from when we played Colombia at this stage in Moscow. I think our level of experience is better, our level of ambition is different.
“When we qualified from our group stage in Russia, we were probably celebrating quite a bit. This time was a great evening for our fans and we enjoyed the win, but we were already thinking of the next game.
“We know the focus has to be on this one game, nothing else.
“We are aiming to win the game and avoid extra time and penalties, but if we need to go 120 minutes or beyond that we have to be ready for that mentally and physically and I believe we are.”
Can England reach the quarter-finals?
England are looking to reach the quarter-final in consecutive editions of the World Cup for the first time since 2002 and 2006.
The Three Lions have been eliminated from just two of their seven round of 16 ties at the tournament, doing so against Germany in 2010 (1-4) and via penalty shootout against Argentina in 1998.
England vs Senegal referee: Who is World Cup 2022 official Ivan Barton?
Barton has been a Fifa listed referee since 2018 and has previously officiated in Concacaf qualifiers, as well as in the El Salvador domestic league.
At 31 years old, Barton is younger than England players Kyle Walker, Jordan Henderson and Kieran Trippier.
Keown confident England can beat Senegal
Former England and Arsenal star Martin Keown is confident that England can get the job done against Senegal tonight and says that the absence of Sadio Mane is a huge blow to the African champions.
“Senegal are used to winning. They are coming with no Sadio Mane, which is a big blow, but they’ve managed that well.” said Keown
“Kalidou Koulibaly played really well in their last game, but he has got weaknesses as well. We shouldn’t be lumping balls into the box, we should exploit the space around him.
“I am confident that England have the tools to beat Senegal. We just need to prove it on the pitch now. We need to be confident but not arrogant.
“There is a balance because any opponent you have to respect but you have to, deep down, feel you can beat.”
England vs Senegal
The Lions of Teranga have brought a lot of passionate fans to each of their group stage matches and tonight is no different. The African champions seem up for this game tonight and they have the ability to cause an upset against England.
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England vs African opposition
England have never lost in seven previous World Cup matches against African opposition with four wins and three draws.
Their only previous such game in the knockout stage came against Cameroon in the 1990 quarter-final where they won 3-2 after extra time, with their goals coming from David Platt and two Gary Lineker penalties.